The renowned publisher has secured Ben Brinkman from Respawn Entertainment to direct the development team at 31st Union, which is currently developing the anticipated over-the-shoulder action-packed title known as Project Ethos.
Management Change Follows Lukewarm Feedback
The new appointee assumes the leadership position at 31st Union following the dismissal of former leader Michael Condrey, who was removed from his post due to Project Ethos' disappointing early showing last autumn.
On Wednesday, the company's top executive David Ismailer updated staff about this organizational change through an internal memo, which emphasized that playtesting had indicated the requirement for a more defined game identity.
The president expressed that the team is now refining the project with a renewed vision, aiming to satisfy community desires.
Trend of Strategic Hires
This announcement mirrors a comparable action taken by 2K Games in August, when they recruited an industry veteran from the Diablo team to assist with the BioShock studio Cloud Chamber.
Here is the entire message from the president's announcement:
Hello Everyone—
I know you all just wrapped up your gathering - I hope you’re as excited as I am with the good news. Last time I shared you all a update, I expressed the following: “I believe in this team. You all are some of the most dedicated and talented creators we have had the pleasure to work with - and we’re looking forward for that partnership to persist.”
Through your commitment and versatility, particularly over the last year, you repeatedly show that.
The community feedback from last autumn’s Project ETHOS demo was informative. It affirmed the appeal of a action-packed game but told us we still had work to do. It revealed the need for a clearer vision.
It has been motivating to see how far you’ve progressed. You embraced the feedback to consideration and overhauled Project ETHOS with a renewed vision - one that’s positioned to achieve its promise to our players.
The belief in Project ETHOS increases every day. To boost the incredible progress you’ve made, I’m excited to announce Ben Brinkman as the incoming Studio Head of 31st Union. After several months of talks, he starts with us on the specified date.
His guidance and experience in the competitive gaming genre is considerable, having spent the recent years developing and managing some of the most well-known titles in the industry, such as Call of Duty: Black Ops, and more recently, Apex Legends.
Please join me in receiving Ben in the coming days. We are all looking forward to keep observing the evolution of Project ETHOS in the months to follow.
David
Experience of the Incoming Leader
Brinkman presently holds the role of senior developer and head of production at Respawn Entertainment for their flagship title. He earlier worked at major gaming companies in various production roles on the Call of Duty games, and, before that, had assignments at 2K and Electronic Arts.
Game Details and Concept
Project Ethos was unveiled in October 2024 alongside a early access event. Initially, the developers described the title as a "free-to-play, third-person perspective action-packed experience and an innovative step forward on the style."
"Create your ideal gameplay session—or face defeat—in this engaging over-the-shoulder adventure! Customize your character in real-time to suit your personal playstyle," the official summary explains. "Challenge the opponents with new abilities, stakes, and tests that evolve every match. Do you safely extract with your collected items? Or aim high, risk it all, and pray your group can earn top ranking? The option is up to you."
The game has not yet received an announced launch window or supported systems, but fans can look forward to further news as creation continues.
