The renowned publisher has secured a seasoned producer from Respawn Entertainment to oversee the development team at 31st Union, which is currently working on the forthcoming third-person action-packed title known as this innovative game.
Leadership Change Comes After Poor Reception
The new appointee takes on the leadership position at the development studio following the departure of former leader the ex-Sledgehammer Games executive, who was removed from his post due to the game's disappointing initial reveal last fall.
On Wednesday, the company's top executive David Ismailer updated employees about this decision through an internal memo, which emphasized that early feedback sessions had revealed the requirement for a clearer vision.
The president expressed that the developers is now reimagining the project with a refreshed vision, aiming to address community desires.
Trend of Key Hires
The news mirrors a comparable action taken by 2K Games in the summer, when they brought on Rod Fergusson from Blizzard to contribute to the beloved franchise studio Cloud Chamber.
Below is the complete text from the president's announcement:
Dear Team—
I understand you all just completed your meeting - I hope you’re as thrilled as I am with the recent updates. Last time I shared you all a message, I expressed the following: “I am confident in this crew. You all are some of the most dedicated and innovative developers we have had the opportunity to partner with - and we’re excited for that partnership to persist.”
Given your hard work and adaptability, especially over the last year, you repeatedly show that.
The community feedback from last autumn’s Project ETHOS demo was revealing. It confirmed the potential of a action-packed game but told us we still had improvements to make. It uncovered the need for a more distinct identity.
It’s been inspiring to see how far you’ve advanced. You embraced the criticism to heart and overhauled Project ETHOS with a revitalized direction - one that’s poised to fulfill its potential to our audience.
The belief in this project strengthens every day. To further the outstanding advancement you’ve made, I am thrilled to welcome Ben Brinkman as the incoming Director of 31st Union. Following a period of conversations, he starts with us on the specified date.
His management and experience in the competitive gaming space is considerable, having dedicated the past decade and a half developing and managing some of the most popular series in the industry, including Call of Duty: Black Ops, and more recently, the battle royale hit.
I invite you all in greeting Ben next week. We are all excited to keep seeing the development of the game in the months to follow.
David
Background of the Incoming Head
Brinkman currently serves in the position of senior developer and head of production at Respawn Entertainment for Apex Legends. He earlier worked at major gaming companies in various production roles on the iconic franchise games, and, before that, had periods at other industry leaders.
Title Information and Concept
Project Ethos was revealed in last year alongside a public demo. Then, the developers portrayed the game as a "free-to-play, third-person perspective roguelike hero shooter and an thrilling evolution on the genre."
"Create your ideal gameplay session—or face defeat—in this engaging over-the-shoulder adventure! Build your hero in live gameplay to match your preferred approach," the game's pitch explains. "Face the rivals with unique powers, challenges, and tests that evolve every round. Do you safely extract with your hard-earned loot? Alternatively take a risk, put it on the line, and pray your group can secure victory? The option is yours."
The game has not yet received an announced debut schedule or supported systems, but players can look forward to additional details as production progresses.
