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The renowned publisher has welcomed Ben Brinkman from Respawn Entertainment to direct the development team at their internal studio, which is currently developing the upcoming third-person roguelike extraction-shooter known as Project Ethos.

Management Change Comes After Mixed Response

Brinkman steps into the leadership position at the development studio following the dismissal of former leader Michael Condrey, who was removed from his post due to Project Ethos' underwhelming early showing last autumn.

On Wednesday, the company's top executive a key figure updated team members about this organizational change through an official communication, which emphasized that early feedback sessions had shown the need for a clearer vision.

Ismailer expressed that the team is now refining the project with a renewed focus, aiming to better meet community desires.

A Pattern of Key Recruitment

The news follows a comparable action taken by 2K Games in August, when they recruited Rod Fergusson from the Diablo team to work on the BioShock development group.

Here is the complete message from the president's announcement:

Hello Everyone—

I know you all just completed your meeting - I trust you’re as enthusiastic as I am with the good news. Last time I shared you all a update, I mentioned the following: “I am confident in this team. You all are some of the most dedicated and talented creators we have had the pleasure to collaborate with - and we’re eager for that partnership to persist.”

With your dedication and flexibility, particularly over the last year, you repeatedly show that.

The community feedback from last fall’s the game demo was enlightening. It affirmed the appeal of a roguelike shooter but told us we still had improvements to make. It uncovered the requirement for a sharper identity.

The progress is encouraging to see how far you’ve come. You took the feedback to mind and overhauled Project ETHOS with a refreshed goal - one that’s poised to deliver on its ambition to our audience.

The trust in Project ETHOS strengthens every day. To advance the outstanding advancement you’ve made, I’m excited to announce Ben Brinkman as the new Director of the team. After several months of discussions, he comes aboard us on Monday, October 20.

His guidance and experience in the PVP shooter space is extensive, having spent the last 15 years creating and leading some of the most popular franchises in the industry, for example the acclaimed shooter, and most recently, Apex Legends.

Please join me in welcoming him in the coming days. We are all eager to persist observing the progress of the game in the weeks to follow.

The President

Background of the Incoming Leader

The appointee presently holds the position of senior developer and head of production at Respawn Entertainment for their flagship title. Brinkman earlier worked at Treyarch and Activision in multiple development positions on the Call of Duty games, and, before that, had periods at 2K and Electronic Arts.

Game Details and Concept

Project Ethos was revealed in October 2024 together with a public demo. At the time, 31st Union presented the game as a "no-cost, 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 live gameplay to fit your unique tactics," the official summary explains. "Take on the competition with unique powers, challenges, and tests that shift every round. Will you leave securely with your collected items? Or aim high, put it on the line, and hope your squad can earn top ranking? The option is yours."

The game lacks an announced launch window or supported systems, but fans can anticipate more updates as creation advances.