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The renowned publisher has appointed Ben Brinkman from the creators of Apex Legends to direct the development team at their internal studio, which is currently working on the anticipated third-person action-packed title known as this innovative game.

Management Transition Comes After Mixed Feedback

Brinkman steps into the leadership position at the development studio following the departure of previous head Michael Condrey, who was removed from his post due to the game's lackluster unveiling last fall.

Recently, the company's top executive a key figure updated employees about this organizational change through an internal memo, which stressed that playtesting had revealed the requirement for a distinct vision.

The president stated that the team is now reimagining the project with a renewed approach, aiming to address community desires.

Trend of Strategic Recruitment

This announcement mirrors a comparable step taken by 2K Games in the summer, when they hired an industry veteran from the Diablo team to contribute to the beloved franchise development group.

Below is the full text from the president's announcement:

Team—

I understand you all just finished your gathering - I trust you’re as excited as I am with the good news. Last time I sent you all a message, I stated the following: “I believe in this group. You all are some of the most driven and talented creators we have had the opportunity to partner with - and we’re eager for that relationship to persist.”

With your dedication and flexibility, especially over the past twelve months, you consistently demonstrate that.

The community feedback from last fall’s Project ETHOS demo was enlightening. It validated the promise of a action-packed game but indicated we still had improvements to make. It highlighted the requirement for a clearer identity.

It’s been inspiring to see how far you’ve come. You embraced the criticism to heart and reimagined the title with a revitalized vision - one that’s positioned to achieve its ambition to our players.

The belief in Project ETHOS grows every day. To boost the outstanding progress you’ve made, It is a pleasure to introduce Ben Brinkman as the latest Studio Head of 31st Union. After a period of discussions, Ben officially joins us on Monday, October 20.

His guidance and expertise in the competitive gaming field is considerable, having dedicated the recent years developing and overseeing some of the most well-known franchises in the industry, including Call of Duty: Black Ops, and more recently, Apex Legends.

Let’s together in greeting Ben in the coming days. We are all excited to continue witnessing the development of Project ETHOS in the months to come.

The President

Experience of the New Head

The appointee currently serves in the position of senior developer and head of production at Respawn Entertainment for Apex Legends. Brinkman previously worked at major gaming companies in multiple production roles on the iconic franchise series, and, prior to that, had periods at 2K and Electronic Arts.

Title Details and Concept

Project Ethos was unveiled in October 2024 together with a community playtest. Then, the developers portrayed the title as a "no-cost, third-person perspective action-packed experience and an thrilling step forward on the category."

"Build your perfect run—or die trying—in this 3rd-person action shooter! Customize your character in real-time to fit your unique tactics," the official summary states. "Challenge the opponents with unique powers, challenges, and challenges that change every round. Do you safely extract with your valuable rewards? Alternatively go big, risk it all, and hope your squad can earn top ranking? The option is in your hands."

Project Ethos does not have an confirmed debut schedule or consoles, but fans can look forward to additional details as production progresses.