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The renowned publisher has secured a seasoned producer from the creators of Apex Legends to direct the development team at their internal studio, which is currently developing the forthcoming third-person roguelike extraction-shooter known as Project Ethos.

Leadership Shift Follows Mixed Feedback

The new appointee assumes the leadership position at 31st Union following the departure of former leader the ex-Sledgehammer Games executive, who was reportedly let go due to the game's lackluster early showing last fall.

On Wednesday, the company's top executive David Ismailer informed team members about this organizational change through an official communication, which highlighted that playtesting had revealed the requirement for a distinct direction.

Ismailer noted that the developers is now reimagining Project Ethos with a renewed approach, aiming to satisfy community desires.

Trend of Key Hires

The news follows a similar move taken by the publisher in the summer, when they hired an industry veteran from Blizzard to contribute to the BioShock development group.

Below is the entire message from the president's memo:

Team—

I know you all just finished your town hall - I hope you’re as thrilled as I am with the good news. Last time I shared you all a update, I expressed the following: “I am confident in this team. You all are some of the most motivated and innovative designers we have had the opportunity to work with - and we’re looking forward for that collaboration to continue.”

Given your hard work and adaptability, particularly over the last year, you repeatedly show that.

The player input from last fall’s the game testing phase was informative. It validated the appeal of a roguelike shooter but made clear we still had refinements needed. It revealed the requirement for a sharper identity.

It’s been inspiring to see how far you’ve come. You took the feedback to consideration and revamped the title with a renewed goal - one that’s poised to achieve its promise to our players.

The trust in this project grows every day. To advance the outstanding development you’ve made, I’m excited to announce Ben Brinkman as the new Studio Head of the team. After a period of talks, Ben officially joins us on Monday, October 20.

Ben’s leadership and background in the PVP shooter field is vast, having dedicated the recent years producing and managing some of the most popular series in the industry, including Call of Duty: Black Ops, and most recently, Apex Legends.

Please join me in greeting him in the coming days. We are all eager to persist seeing the evolution of the game in the time to come.

David

Background of the New Head

The appointee currently serves in the position of executive producer and head of production at the renowned studio for Apex Legends. Brinkman earlier worked at major gaming companies in various production roles on the iconic franchise series, and, prior to that, had periods at 2K and Electronic Arts.

Title Details and Vision

Project Ethos was announced in last year alongside a public demo. Initially, the developers portrayed the title as a "no-cost, third-person perspective action-packed experience and an exciting step forward on the genre."

"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 description explains. "Face the competition with new abilities, challenges, and challenges that change every match. Will you withdraw carefully with your hard-earned loot? Or go big, put it on the line, and trust your group can earn top ranking? The decision is in your hands."

The game does not have an announced debut schedule or platforms, but fans can anticipate more updates as development progresses.