The renowned publisher has secured Ben Brinkman from the creators of Apex Legends to oversee the studio crew at their internal studio, which is currently working on the forthcoming third-person action-packed title known as this innovative game.
Management Shift Follows Poor Response
Brinkman assumes the leadership position at 31st Union following the dismissal of previous head Michael Condrey, who was removed from his post due to Project Ethos' disappointing initial reveal last fall.
On Wednesday, the company's top executive a key figure informed employees about this strategic move through an internal memo, which stressed that playtesting had indicated the necessity for a clearer vision.
The president stated that the developers is now reimagining the project with a revised vision, aiming to address gamer demands.
A Pattern of Key Acquisitions
The news follows a similar step taken by 2K Games in the summer, when they brought on an industry veteran from Blizzard to work on the BioShock studio Cloud Chamber.
Here is the entire content from Ismailer's memo:
Dear Team—
I know you all just finished your town hall - I hope you’re as enthusiastic as I am with the recent updates. Previously I sent you all a note, I mentioned the following: “I believe in this team. You all are some of the most dedicated and talented creators we have had the pleasure to work with - and we’re eager for that collaboration to endure.”
Through your commitment and versatility, particularly over the past twelve months, you repeatedly show that.
The player input from last autumn’s Project ETHOS playtest was enlightening. It confirmed the promise of a action-packed game but indicated we still had work to do. It highlighted the need for a clearer identity.
The progress is encouraging to see how far you’ve progressed. You accepted the input to consideration and reimagined Project ETHOS with a refreshed goal - one that’s ready to achieve its potential to our fans.
Our confidence in this project increases every day. To further the outstanding development you’ve made, I’m excited to announce Ben Brinkman as the latest Lead of the team. After some time of conversations, he officially joins us on Monday, October 20.
His leadership and experience in the competitive gaming space is vast, having devoted the past decade and a half producing and overseeing some of the most popular franchises in gaming, including Call of Duty: Black Ops, and more recently, Apex Legends.
I invite you all in receiving him next week. We are all looking forward to keep observing the development of the game in the time to follow.
The President
Experience of the New Leader
Brinkman currently serves in the role of senior developer and production lead at Respawn Entertainment for Apex Legends. He previously was employed at major gaming companies in various production roles on the Call of Duty series, and, earlier in his career, had stints at other industry leaders.
Game Details and Vision
The upcoming game was announced in last year alongside a early access event. Initially, 31st Union presented the game as a "no-cost, third-person perspective action-packed experience and an thrilling evolution on the style."
"Build your perfect run—or die trying—in this 3rd-person action shooter! Build your hero in live gameplay to match your preferred approach," the description states. "Challenge the rivals with unique powers, risks, and tests that shift every round. Will you safely extract with your collected items? Or take a risk, gamble everything, and trust your squad can earn top ranking? The decision is yours."
Project Ethos lacks an confirmed release date or consoles, but fans can anticipate additional details as development progresses.
