The renowned publisher has appointed a seasoned producer from the creators of Apex Legends to lead the studio crew at 31st Union, which is currently working on the forthcoming third-person roguelike extraction-shooter known as Project Ethos.
Leadership Change Comes After Poor Reception
The new appointee assumes the role of studio head at the development studio following the dismissal of previous head the ex-Sledgehammer Games executive, who was removed from his post due to Project Ethos' lackluster initial reveal last fall.
Recently, the company's top executive a key figure updated staff about this organizational change through an official communication, which highlighted that playtesting had indicated the necessity for a distinct direction.
Ismailer noted that the team is now reimagining Project Ethos with a refreshed vision, aiming to better meet community desires.
Trend of Strategic Recruitment
The news follows a comparable step taken by 2K Games in August, when they hired an industry veteran from Blizzard to work on the beloved franchise studio Cloud Chamber.
Below is the entire text from the president's announcement:
Team—
I know you all just wrapped up your meeting - I trust you’re as enthusiastic as I am with the recent updates. Previously I sent you all a message, I stated the following: “I am confident in this team. You all are some of the most dedicated and talented creators we have had the opportunity to partner with - and we’re excited for that relationship to continue.”
With your dedication and versatility, particularly over the past twelve months, you repeatedly show that.
The community feedback from last fall’s the game testing phase was informative. It confirmed the appeal of a roguelike shooter but indicated we still had work to do. It uncovered the requirement for a more distinct vision.
It has been motivating to see how far you’ve come. You took the input to heart and revamped Project ETHOS with a refreshed vision - one that’s positioned to deliver on its ambition to our players.
The belief in this project increases every day. To further the remarkable development you’ve made, I’m excited to welcome Ben Brinkman as the latest Director of the team. After some time of discussions, he comes aboard us on next week.
Ben’s guidance and background in the PVP shooter space is vast, having dedicated the last 15 years producing and leading some of the most popular titles in gaming, for example the acclaimed shooter, and more recently, the battle royale hit.
Let’s together in receiving Ben next week. We are all looking forward to persist seeing the development of the game in the months to ahead.
The President
Background of the New Leader
The appointee presently holds the position of senior developer and production lead at Respawn Entertainment for Apex Legends. Brinkman earlier was employed at Treyarch and Activision in multiple production roles on the iconic franchise games, and, before that, had assignments at other industry leaders.
Title Details and Vision
The upcoming game was announced in last year together with a public demo. At the time, the developers portrayed the title as a "free-to-play, 3rd-person roguelike hero shooter and an exciting step forward on the style."
"Build your perfect run—or die trying—in this 3rd-person action shooter! Customize your character in real-time to suit your personal playstyle," the official summary explains. "Challenge the competition with new abilities, challenges, and tests that change every session. Will you withdraw carefully with your collected items? Or take a risk, gamble everything, and hope your team can secure victory? The decision is yours."
The game lacks an announced debut schedule or platforms, but fans can look forward to further news as creation advances.
