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The renowned publisher has appointed Ben Brinkman from Respawn Entertainment to lead the studio crew at 31st Union, which is currently working on the forthcoming third-person roguelike extraction-shooter known as this innovative game.

Leadership Shift Comes After Mixed Response

Brinkman takes on the role of studio head at 31st Union following the exit of former leader Michael Condrey, who was reportedly let go due to the game's disappointing unveiling last fall.

On Wednesday, the company's top executive David Ismailer notified employees about this organizational change through an internal memo, which highlighted that playtesting had shown the requirement for a clearer vision.

Ismailer expressed that the team is now overhauling Project Ethos with a revised approach, aiming to address gamer demands.

Trend of Strategic Hires

This announcement follows a similar move taken by 2K Games in August, when they hired an industry veteran from Blizzard to contribute to the BioShock studio Cloud Chamber.

Here is the full message from Ismailer's communication:

Team—

I understand you all just finished your gathering - I trust you’re as enthusiastic as I am with the good news. Last time I shared you all a update, I expressed the following: “I am confident in this team. You all are some of the most driven and innovative designers we have had the chance to work with - and we’re looking forward for that collaboration to persist.”

With your dedication and adaptability, especially over the last year, you consistently demonstrate that.

The player input from last fall’s Project ETHOS testing phase was enlightening. It affirmed the appeal of a action-packed game but made clear we still had refinements needed. It highlighted the need for a sharper vision.

It has been motivating to see how far you’ve come. You took the feedback to mind and revamped the title with a refreshed goal - one that’s positioned to deliver on its potential to our fans.

Our confidence in Project ETHOS strengthens every day. To further the remarkable advancement you’ve made, I am thrilled to announce Ben Brinkman as the incoming Lead of 31st Union. After a period of talks, Ben starts with us on Monday, October 20.

His guidance and expertise in the PVP shooter genre is considerable, having spent the recent years developing and overseeing some of the most well-known series in the industry, such as Call of Duty: Black Ops, and lately, Apex Legends.

I invite you all in welcoming him in the coming days. We are all looking forward to persist seeing the progress of the game in the months to ahead.

David

Experience of the New Head

Brinkman currently holds the role of senior developer and production lead at the renowned studio for Apex Legends. He previously was employed at Treyarch and Activision in various production roles on the Call of Duty series, and, prior to that, had stints at 2K and Electronic Arts.

Title Details and Vision

The upcoming game was unveiled in last year in conjunction with a early access event. At the time, the developers presented the game as a "free-to-play, 3rd-person roguelike hero shooter and an exciting step forward on the style."

"Create your ideal gameplay session—or face defeat—in this engaging over-the-shoulder adventure! Build your hero in real-time to match your preferred approach," the game's pitch reads. "Face the competition with fresh skills, stakes, and challenges that change every round. Do you safely extract with your hard-earned loot? Or aim high, risk it all, and hope your team can earn top ranking? The decision is yours."

The game has not yet received an confirmed debut schedule or platforms, but fans can look forward to more updates as creation continues.