The renowned publisher has welcomed a seasoned producer from the creators of Apex Legends to oversee the development team at 31st Union, which is currently developing the upcoming over-the-shoulder roguelike extraction-shooter known as Project Ethos.
Management Change Comes After Poor Feedback
The new appointee takes on the role of studio head at 31st Union following the departure of previous head Michael Condrey, who was removed from his post due to the game's lackluster early showing last fall.
On Wednesday, the company's top executive David Ismailer updated team members about this strategic move through an internal memo, which stressed that early feedback sessions had shown the requirement for a clearer vision.
The president expressed that the developers is now overhauling Project Ethos with a revised focus, aiming to satisfy community desires.
Trend of Key Hires
This announcement echoes a similar action taken by 2K Games in the summer, when they brought on an industry veteran from Blizzard to assist with the BioShock development group.
Here is the entire text from the president's communication:
Hello Everyone—
I know you all just wrapped up your town hall - I hope you’re as excited as I am with the recent updates. Last time I shared you all a note, I stated the following: “I am confident in this group. You all are some of the most driven and creative creators we have had the chance to partner with - and we’re excited for that collaboration to endure.”
With your dedication and versatility, especially over the last year, you continue to prove that.
The gamer responses from last autumn’s Project ETHOS demo was revealing. It validated the appeal of a action-packed game but told us we still had improvements to make. It uncovered the necessity for a sharper vision.
It’s been inspiring to see how far you’ve progressed. You embraced the input to mind and overhauled Project ETHOS with a refreshed vision - one that’s ready to deliver on its promise to our players.
The trust in this project grows every day. To advance the remarkable progress you’ve made, I’m excited to introduce Ben Brinkman as the latest Studio Head of the team. Following some time of conversations, Ben comes aboard us on next week.
Ben’s leadership and experience in the PVP shooter genre is vast, having devoted the recent years developing and leading some of the most recognizable franchises in gaming, such as Call of Duty: Black Ops, and more recently, the battle royale hit.
I invite you all in receiving Ben next week. We are all looking forward to continue observing the evolution of Project ETHOS in the months to come.
David
Experience of the New Head
The appointee presently serves in the role of executive producer and head of production at Respawn Entertainment for their flagship title. He previously was employed at Treyarch and Activision in multiple development positions on the iconic franchise games, and, earlier in his career, had periods at other industry leaders.
Game Details and Concept
Project Ethos was revealed in last year together with a early access event. Then, 31st Union described the game as a "free-to-play, 3rd-person roguelike hero shooter and an innovative step forward on the category."
"Create your ideal gameplay session—or face defeat—in this engaging over-the-shoulder adventure! Build your hero in real-time to suit your personal playstyle," the official summary explains. "Challenge the competition with new abilities, risks, and tests that shift every round. Will you safely extract with your hard-earned loot? Alternatively go big, gamble everything, and pray your squad can earn top ranking? The decision is in your hands."
The game lacks an official debut schedule or supported systems, but fans can anticipate more updates as production advances.
