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The renowned publisher has welcomed a seasoned producer from the creators of Apex Legends to direct the development team at 31st Union, which is currently crafting the anticipated third-person roguelike extraction-shooter known as this innovative game.

Leadership Change Follows Lukewarm Response

Brinkman takes on the leadership position at the development studio following the dismissal of former leader Michael Condrey, who was removed from his post due to the game's lackluster unveiling last fall.

On Wednesday, the company's top executive a key figure notified team members about this strategic move through an internal memo, which highlighted that playtesting had revealed the requirement for a clearer game identity.

The president noted that the team is now refining Project Ethos with a renewed approach, aiming to satisfy community desires.

Trend of Key Hires

This announcement mirrors a similar step taken by 2K Games in the summer, when they recruited an industry veteran from Blizzard to contribute to the beloved franchise development group.

Below is the entire message from the president's memo:

Dear Team—

I understand you all just finished your gathering - I trust you’re as thrilled as I am with the good news. Last time I sent you all a update, I mentioned the following: “I believe in this team. You all are some of the most motivated and innovative designers we have had the pleasure to partner with - and we’re looking forward for that relationship to continue.”

With your dedication and flexibility, especially over the past twelve months, you continue to prove that.

The community feedback from last fall’s Project ETHOS demo was enlightening. It affirmed the appeal of a roguelike shooter but told us we still had work to do. It revealed the requirement for a clearer brand.

It’s been inspiring to see how far you’ve come. You embraced the criticism to consideration and reimagined the title with a renewed direction - one that’s poised to fulfill its promise to our players.

The belief in this project grows every day. To further the outstanding progress you’ve made, It is a pleasure to announce the new hire as the latest Lead of 31st Union. Following several months of discussions, he starts with us on next week.

His leadership and experience in the competitive gaming field is vast, having devoted the recent years creating and managing some of the most popular franchises in the industry, such as the acclaimed shooter, and more recently, Apex Legends.

I invite you all in receiving him next week. We are all excited to keep witnessing the progress of Project ETHOS in the weeks to follow.

David

Experience of the Incoming Head

Brinkman presently serves in the role of executive producer and production lead at the renowned studio for Apex Legends. Brinkman earlier worked at Treyarch and Activision in various development positions on the iconic franchise games, and, before that, had periods at other industry leaders.

Game Details and Concept

The upcoming game was announced in October 2024 alongside a community playtest. At the time, the developers presented the title as a "free-to-play, 3rd-person roguelike hero shooter 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 match your preferred approach," the official summary explains. "Challenge the competition with new abilities, risks, and challenges that shift every match. Do you leave securely with your collected items? Or take a risk, gamble everything, and pray your team can achieve the highest spot? The choice is up to you."

Project Ethos lacks an announced release date or platforms, but fans can look forward to further news as development advances.