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The renowned publisher has appointed a seasoned producer from Respawn Entertainment to oversee the development team at 31st Union, which is currently crafting the forthcoming over-the-shoulder roguelike extraction-shooter known as this innovative game.

Leadership Shift Follows Lukewarm Reception

The new appointee assumes the leadership position at 31st Union following the dismissal of former leader the ex-Sledgehammer Games executive, who was removed from his post due to Project Ethos' disappointing early showing last autumn.

On Wednesday, the company's top executive a key figure informed staff about this organizational change through an internal memo, which highlighted that playtesting had indicated the need for a more defined game identity.

Ismailer noted that the team is now refining the project with a renewed focus, aiming to satisfy community desires.

A Pattern of Strategic Hires

This announcement follows a comparable action taken by 2K Games in August, when they hired an industry veteran from the Diablo team to contribute to the beloved franchise studio Cloud Chamber.

Below is the complete content from Ismailer's announcement:

Dear Team—

I understand you all just completed your gathering - I hope you’re as enthusiastic as I am with the good news. Previously I shared you all a note, I stated the following: “I am confident in this crew. You all are some of the most dedicated and creative developers we have had the pleasure to partner with - and we’re eager for that partnership to endure.”

With your dedication and adaptability, particularly over the past twelve months, you repeatedly show that.

The gamer responses from last fall’s Project ETHOS playtest was revealing. It affirmed the appeal of a roguelike shooter but told us we still had improvements to make. It highlighted the requirement for a more distinct vision.

The progress is encouraging to see how far you’ve come. You took the feedback to mind and revamped the title with a refreshed vision - one that’s poised to fulfill its promise to our players.

The trust in this project strengthens every day. To advance the remarkable progress you’ve made, It is a pleasure to introduce Ben Brinkman as the incoming Director of 31st Union. Following some time of conversations, Ben starts with us on Monday, October 20.

Ben’s guidance and experience in the PVP shooter space is vast, having spent the recent years creating and leading some of the most well-known titles in the industry, for example Call of Duty: Black Ops, and lately, Apex Legends.

Please join me in greeting Ben in the coming days. We are all excited to persist seeing the development of Project ETHOS in the weeks to ahead.

David

Experience of the New Leader

Brinkman currently holds the role of executive producer and head of production at Respawn Entertainment for Apex Legends. He previously worked at Treyarch and Activision in diverse development positions on the iconic franchise series, and, earlier in his career, had stints at other industry leaders.

Title Details and Concept

Project Ethos was revealed in last year together with a community playtest. Then, the developers presented the title as a "free-to-play, third-person perspective action-packed experience and an exciting evolution 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 suit your personal playstyle," the official summary explains. "Challenge the rivals with new abilities, challenges, and tests that change every session. Do you leave securely with your valuable rewards? Alternatively aim high, risk it all, and trust your squad can secure victory? The option is in your hands."

The game has not yet received an announced debut schedule or platforms, but enthusiasts can look forward to additional details as development progresses.