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The renowned publisher has appointed Ben Brinkman from the creators of Apex Legends to lead the development team at 31st Union, which is currently crafting the anticipated third-person action-packed title known as Project Ethos.

Management Transition Follows Lukewarm Feedback

Brinkman takes on the leadership position at the development studio following the departure of former leader the ex-Sledgehammer Games executive, who was reportedly let go due to the game's lackluster unveiling last autumn.

On Wednesday, the company's top executive David Ismailer updated staff about this strategic move through an official communication, which emphasized that early feedback sessions had shown the necessity for a more defined direction.

Ismailer stated that the developers is now reimagining Project Ethos with a renewed vision, aiming to address community desires.

A Pattern of Key Recruitment

This announcement mirrors a comparable step taken by the publisher in August, when they brought on an industry veteran from Blizzard to work on the beloved franchise studio Cloud Chamber.

Here is the full text from the president's memo:

Hello Everyone—

I know you all just wrapped up your meeting - I hope you’re as enthusiastic as I am with the positive developments. Last time I shared you all a message, I mentioned the following: “I believe in this crew. You all are some of the most driven and talented designers we have had the pleasure to partner with - and we’re eager for that relationship to endure.”

Given your hard work and adaptability, particularly over the last year, you consistently demonstrate that.

The gamer responses from last fall’s Project ETHOS testing phase was informative. It confirmed the potential of a action-packed game but told us we still had refinements needed. It uncovered the necessity for a clearer identity.

The progress is encouraging to see how far you’ve advanced. You took the input to consideration and reimagined Project ETHOS with a refreshed direction - one that’s positioned to achieve its ambition to our players.

Our confidence in this project grows every day. To further the remarkable progress you’ve made, I’m excited to welcome Ben Brinkman as the incoming Director of the team. After several months of discussions, Ben officially joins us on Monday, October 20.

His leadership and background in the PVP shooter space is considerable, having spent the recent years developing and overseeing some of the most popular titles in the industry, for example Call of Duty: Black Ops, and more recently, Apex Legends.

I invite you all in greeting him next week. We are all eager to persist observing the progress of the game in the time to come.

The President

Experience of the Incoming Leader

Brinkman presently serves in the position of senior developer and head of production at Respawn Entertainment for their flagship title. Brinkman earlier worked at Treyarch and Activision in various production roles on the iconic franchise games, and, earlier in his career, had assignments at other industry leaders.

Game Information and Vision

Project Ethos was unveiled in last year alongside a public demo. Initially, the developers presented the game as a "free-to-play, third-person perspective action-packed experience and an exciting evolution on the category."

"Build your perfect run—or die trying—in this 3rd-person action shooter! Customize your character in live gameplay to match your preferred approach," the official summary reads. "Face the rivals with fresh skills, risks, and tests that evolve every match. Do you withdraw carefully with your valuable rewards? Alternatively go big, put it on the line, and trust your group can earn top ranking? The choice is in your hands."

The game does not have an official launch window or platforms, but fans can expect more updates as development continues.