The renowned publisher has welcomed Ben Brinkman from Respawn Entertainment to lead the development team at 31st Union, which is currently crafting the anticipated over-the-shoulder action-packed title known as Project Ethos.
Leadership Shift Follows Poor Feedback
Brinkman takes on the role of studio head at 31st Union following the exit of former leader the ex-Sledgehammer Games executive, who was removed from his post due to the game's disappointing unveiling last fall.
Recently, the company's top executive David Ismailer notified team members about this organizational change through an internal memo, which stressed that playtesting had revealed the requirement for a more defined direction.
The president expressed that the team is now overhauling Project Ethos with a refreshed vision, aiming to better meet gamer demands.
A Pattern of Key Hires
The news echoes a similar move taken by 2K Games in August, when they recruited Rod Fergusson from Blizzard to contribute to the beloved franchise studio Cloud Chamber.
Here is the full message from Ismailer's memo:
Team—
I know you all just completed your gathering - I trust you’re as enthusiastic as I am with the recent updates. Last time I sent you all a update, I mentioned the following: “I believe in this team. You all are some of the most motivated and talented designers we have had the opportunity to partner with - and we’re excited for that partnership to continue.”
Given your hard work and versatility, particularly over the last year, you continue to prove that.
The community feedback from last autumn’s the game demo was informative. It validated the potential of a roguelike shooter but told us we still had improvements to make. It revealed the requirement for a clearer identity.
It’s been inspiring to see how far you’ve come. You embraced the criticism to mind and overhauled the title with a renewed vision - one that’s positioned to achieve its ambition to our players.
The trust in this project grows every day. To further the remarkable progress you’ve made, I am thrilled to announce Ben Brinkman as the incoming Director of the team. Following several months of discussions, he comes aboard us on Monday, October 20.
Ben’s management and background in the PVP shooter genre is extensive, having spent the past decade and a half developing and managing some of the most popular titles in the industry, such as the acclaimed shooter, and most recently, Apex Legends.
Please join me in greeting him in the coming days. We are all eager to persist seeing the development of the game in the months to ahead.
The President
Experience of the Incoming Leader
Brinkman presently serves in the role of executive producer and production lead at Respawn Entertainment for their flagship title. Brinkman earlier worked at Treyarch and Activision in diverse production roles on the iconic franchise games, and, prior to that, had periods at 2K and Electronic Arts.
Title Information and Vision
The upcoming game was unveiled in last year in conjunction with a public demo. Then, the developers presented the game as a "free-to-play, third-person perspective action-packed experience and an exciting advancement on the style."
"Create your ideal gameplay session—or face defeat—in this engaging over-the-shoulder adventure! Build your hero in live gameplay to fit your unique tactics," the official summary reads. "Take on the rivals with unique powers, challenges, and obstacles that evolve every round. Do you leave securely with your hard-earned loot? Or aim high, gamble everything, and hope your group can secure victory? The decision is up to you."
Project Ethos has not yet received an confirmed debut schedule or platforms, but players can anticipate additional details as development continues.
