The renowned publisher has appointed Ben Brinkman from the creators of Apex Legends to direct the development team at 31st Union, which is currently working on the upcoming third-person roguelike extraction-shooter known as this innovative game.
Management Change Follows Mixed Feedback
The new appointee takes on the leadership position 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 underwhelming unveiling last fall.
On Wednesday, the company's top executive David Ismailer updated team members about this organizational change through an internal memo, which emphasized that playtesting had shown the requirement for a distinct game identity.
The president noted that the developers is now overhauling Project Ethos with a revised vision, aiming to address community desires.
Trend of Key Acquisitions
The news follows a comparable step taken by the publisher in the summer, when they hired an industry veteran from the Diablo team to contribute to the BioShock development group.
Below is the full message from Ismailer's memo:
Team—
I understand you all just finished your meeting - I hope you’re as enthusiastic as I am with the recent updates. Last time I sent you all a note, I mentioned the following: “I am confident in this crew. You all are some of the most driven and talented developers we have had the chance to partner with - and we’re eager for that collaboration to persist.”
With your dedication and versatility, especially over the last year, you consistently demonstrate that.
The community feedback from last fall’s Project ETHOS demo was informative. It affirmed the promise of a action-packed game but made clear we still had work to do. It uncovered the need for a clearer vision.
The progress is encouraging to see how far you’ve come. You took the criticism to consideration and revamped the title with a refreshed goal - one that’s positioned to fulfill its potential to our audience.
Our confidence in Project ETHOS increases every day. To advance the outstanding advancement you’ve made, I’m excited to announce Ben Brinkman as the latest Lead of the team. After a period of conversations, Ben comes aboard us on the specified date.
Ben’s guidance and experience in the competitive gaming field is vast, having spent the past decade and a half creating and managing some of the most well-known franchises in gaming, for example Call of Duty: Black Ops, and most recently, the battle royale hit.
Let’s together in receiving him soon. We are all excited to persist witnessing the development of Project ETHOS in the months to come.
The President
Background of the New Head
The appointee presently serves in the role of executive producer and head of production at the renowned studio for their flagship title. He previously worked at Treyarch and Activision in multiple development positions on the iconic franchise games, and, prior to that, had stints at other industry leaders.
Game Details and Vision
The upcoming game was announced in last year alongside a community playtest. Then, the developers portrayed the game as a "free-to-play, third-person perspective roguelike hero shooter and an innovative advancement on the style."
"Create your ideal gameplay session—or face defeat—in this engaging over-the-shoulder adventure! Build your hero in real-time to fit your unique tactics," the description explains. "Take on the rivals with unique powers, challenges, and obstacles that evolve every round. Will you safely extract with your hard-earned loot? Or aim high, gamble everything, and hope your group can achieve the highest spot? The decision is yours."
The game has not yet received an official launch window or platforms, but enthusiasts can anticipate more updates as development continues.
