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The renowned publisher has appointed Ben Brinkman from Respawn Entertainment to direct the development team at 31st Union, which is currently developing the anticipated over-the-shoulder roguelike extraction-shooter known as this innovative game.

Leadership Shift Follows Lukewarm Feedback

The new appointee takes on the leadership position at 31st Union following the exit of previous head the ex-Sledgehammer Games executive, who was removed from his post due to Project Ethos' lackluster early showing last fall.

On Wednesday, the company's top executive a key figure informed staff about this decision through an internal memo, which stressed that early feedback sessions had indicated the necessity for a distinct game identity.

The president noted that the developers is now refining Project Ethos with a renewed focus, aiming to address gamer demands.

A Pattern of Strategic Recruitment

The news follows a similar step taken by 2K Games in August, when they recruited an industry veteran from Blizzard to work on the beloved franchise studio Cloud Chamber.

Below is the entire text from the president's announcement:

Dear Team—

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 stated the following: “I am confident in this group. You all are some of the most driven and innovative creators we have had the pleasure to collaborate with - and we’re looking forward for that collaboration to continue.”

Through your commitment and flexibility, particularly over the last year, you repeatedly show that.

The community feedback from last autumn’s Project ETHOS demo was enlightening. It validated the appeal of a action-packed game but indicated we still had work to do. It revealed the requirement for a more distinct identity.

It’s been inspiring to see how far you’ve come. You took the feedback to heart and overhauled the title with a renewed direction - one that’s poised to achieve its ambition to our fans.

Our confidence in Project ETHOS strengthens every day. To advance the remarkable advancement you’ve made, I’m excited to welcome Ben Brinkman as the new Director of 31st Union. After a period of conversations, he starts with us on next week.

His guidance and background in the competitive gaming space is vast, having spent the recent years creating and leading some of the most popular titles in gaming, for example the acclaimed shooter, and most recently, the battle royale hit.

I invite you all in welcoming him soon. We are all looking forward to continue seeing the progress of Project ETHOS in the time to follow.

David

Experience of the Incoming Head

The appointee currently serves in the position of executive producer and production lead at Respawn Entertainment for Apex Legends. He earlier was employed at Treyarch and Activision in diverse production roles on the Call of Duty games, and, before that, had stints at other industry leaders.

Game Details and Concept

The upcoming game was announced in last year in conjunction with a public demo. Then, the developers presented the title as a "free-to-play, third-person perspective roguelike hero shooter and an innovative step forward on the style."

"Build your perfect run—or die trying—in this 3rd-person action shooter! Build your hero in live gameplay to suit your personal playstyle," the official summary explains. "Face the opponents with new abilities, stakes, and obstacles that evolve every round. Will you safely extract with your valuable rewards? Alternatively go big, risk it all, and pray your group can earn top ranking? The decision is yours."

Project Ethos does not have an official release date or supported systems, but players can expect more updates as creation continues.