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The renowned publisher has secured Ben Brinkman from the creators of Apex Legends to oversee the studio crew at 31st Union, which is currently working on the upcoming third-person roguelike extraction-shooter known as Project Ethos.

Management Transition Comes After Mixed Feedback

The new appointee takes on the role of studio head at the development studio following the exit of former leader the ex-Sledgehammer Games executive, who was reportedly let go due to the game's underwhelming early showing last fall.

Recently, the company's top executive David Ismailer notified team members about this organizational change through an internal memo, which stressed that early feedback sessions had revealed the need for a distinct game identity.

The president stated that the team is now overhauling Project Ethos with a revised approach, aiming to address player expectations.

A Pattern of Key Hires

This announcement mirrors a similar action taken by the publisher in August, when they hired an industry veteran from the Diablo team to work on the beloved franchise development group.

Here is the entire message from Ismailer's memo:

Hello Everyone—

I know you all just wrapped up your town hall - I trust you’re as thrilled as I am with the good news. Previously I sent you all a note, I mentioned the following: “I believe in this crew. You all are some of the most dedicated and talented creators we have had the chance to work with - and we’re eager for that partnership to persist.”

Through your commitment and versatility, especially over the past twelve months, you consistently demonstrate that.

The community feedback from last fall’s the game testing phase was enlightening. It affirmed the promise of a action-packed game but told us we still had improvements to make. It uncovered the requirement for a more distinct brand.

The progress is encouraging to see how far you’ve progressed. You embraced the input to mind and reimagined the title with a renewed vision - one that’s ready to deliver on its potential to our audience.

The belief in this project increases every day. To further the remarkable progress you’ve made, I’m excited to welcome Ben Brinkman as the incoming Lead of the team. Following some time of discussions, he starts with us on the specified date.

His guidance and background in the competitive gaming field is considerable, having dedicated the past decade and a half developing and managing some of the most well-known franchises in the industry, including the acclaimed shooter, and lately, Apex Legends.

Please join me in welcoming Ben next week. We are all looking forward to keep seeing the evolution of the game in the weeks to come.

David

Background of the Incoming Head

Brinkman presently serves in the position of senior developer and production lead at the renowned studio for Apex Legends. Brinkman earlier was employed at major gaming companies in multiple development positions on the Call of Duty games, and, before that, had stints at 2K and Electronic Arts.

Title Details and Vision

The upcoming game was unveiled in last year in conjunction with a public demo. Initially, the developers presented the game as a "no-cost, 3rd-person roguelike hero shooter and an innovative advancement on the genre."

"Create your ideal gameplay session—or face defeat—in this engaging over-the-shoulder adventure! Customize your character in real-time to match your preferred approach," the game's pitch states. "Face the rivals with fresh skills, challenges, and obstacles that shift every match. Do you withdraw carefully with your collected items? Or go big, gamble everything, and hope your squad can earn top ranking? The choice is yours."

The game lacks an official debut schedule or consoles, but players can look forward to more updates as creation continues.