The renowned publisher has secured Ben Brinkman from Respawn Entertainment to lead the development team at 31st Union, which is currently developing the anticipated third-person roguelike extraction-shooter known as Project Ethos.
Leadership Shift Comes After Mixed Response
The new appointee takes on the role of studio head at the development studio following the dismissal of previous head Michael Condrey, who was reportedly let go due to Project Ethos' lackluster early showing last autumn.
Recently, the company's top executive a key figure updated team members about this organizational change through an internal memo, which highlighted that playtesting had revealed the necessity for a more defined vision.
Ismailer expressed that the team is now overhauling Project Ethos with a revised vision, aiming to better meet player expectations.
Trend of Key Recruitment
The news echoes a comparable move taken by the publisher in August, when they hired Rod Fergusson from Blizzard to work on the beloved franchise development group.
Below is the full message from the president's communication:
Hello Everyone—
I understand you all just completed your town hall - I hope you’re as thrilled as I am with the good news. Last time I sent you all a message, I stated the following: “I am confident in this crew. You all are some of the most driven and talented creators we have had the pleasure to work with - and we’re eager for that partnership to endure.”
Through your commitment and versatility, particularly over the past twelve months, you continue to prove that.
The community feedback from last fall’s the game playtest was revealing. It validated the promise of a roguelike shooter but made clear we still had work to do. It revealed the requirement for a clearer identity.
The progress is encouraging to see how far you’ve advanced. You took the criticism to heart and reimagined the title with a revitalized vision - one that’s ready to achieve its ambition to our audience.
The belief in Project ETHOS grows every day. To boost the outstanding advancement you’ve made, It is a pleasure to announce Ben Brinkman as the new Studio Head of 31st Union. Following some time of talks, he comes aboard us on the specified date.
His guidance and expertise in the competitive gaming space is vast, having dedicated the past decade and a half creating and managing some of the most popular series in gaming, including the acclaimed shooter, and lately, Apex Legends.
Please join me in greeting him in the coming days. We are all eager to keep seeing the evolution of Project ETHOS in the weeks to ahead.
The President
Experience of the New Leader
Brinkman currently serves in the role of senior developer and head of production at the renowned studio for their flagship title. He earlier worked at Treyarch and Activision in diverse development positions on the iconic franchise series, and, earlier in his career, had periods at 2K and Electronic Arts.
Game Details and Concept
Project Ethos was revealed in October 2024 alongside a public demo. At the time, the developers presented the title as a "free-to-play, 3rd-person roguelike hero shooter and an exciting step forward on the category."
"Build your perfect run—or die trying—in this 3rd-person action shooter! Build your hero in real-time to match your preferred approach," the description explains. "Take on the rivals with new abilities, stakes, and obstacles that shift every round. Will you safely extract with your collected items? Alternatively go big, put it on the line, and pray your squad can secure victory? The choice is in your hands."
Project Ethos lacks an announced release date or platforms, but players can look forward to additional details as creation advances.
