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The renowned publisher has welcomed a seasoned producer from the creators of Apex Legends to oversee the development team at their internal studio, which is currently working on the upcoming third-person action-packed title known as this innovative game.

Management Transition Follows Lukewarm Response

The new appointee steps into the leadership position at 31st Union following the departure of previous head Michael Condrey, who was removed from his post due to Project Ethos' underwhelming initial reveal last fall.

On Wednesday, the company's top executive a key figure notified employees about this decision through an internal memo, which stressed that playtesting had shown the necessity for a clearer game identity.

Ismailer expressed that the developers is now overhauling Project Ethos with a revised approach, aiming to address player expectations.

A Pattern of Strategic Hires

The news follows a similar step taken by the publisher in August, when they recruited an industry veteran from the Diablo team to contribute to the BioShock studio Cloud Chamber.

Below is the entire content from Ismailer's memo:

Team—

I know you all just finished your gathering - I trust you’re as excited as I am with the positive developments. Last time I sent you all a update, I expressed the following: “I am confident in this crew. You all are some of the most motivated and talented creators we have had the pleasure to partner with - and we’re excited for that collaboration to endure.”

Given your hard work and flexibility, especially over the past twelve months, you continue to prove that.

The community feedback from last autumn’s the game testing phase was informative. It validated the appeal of a action-packed game but indicated we still had work to do. It revealed the requirement for a more distinct brand.

It has been motivating to see how far you’ve advanced. You accepted the input to consideration and overhauled Project ETHOS with a renewed vision - one that’s poised to fulfill its ambition to our audience.

The trust in Project ETHOS strengthens every day. To boost the remarkable progress you’ve made, It is a pleasure to introduce the new hire as the latest Lead of the team. After some time of discussions, Ben starts with us on the specified date.

His leadership and background in the PVP shooter genre is considerable, having dedicated the recent years developing and overseeing some of the most well-known titles in gaming, such as the acclaimed shooter, and most recently, the battle royale hit.

I invite you all in receiving him next week. We are all eager to continue seeing the evolution of Project ETHOS in the weeks to come.

David

Experience of the Incoming Head

Brinkman presently serves in the role of senior developer and head of production at the renowned studio for Apex Legends. Brinkman earlier worked at major gaming companies in multiple production roles on the Call of Duty series, and, earlier in his career, had stints at other industry leaders.

Title Information and Vision

The upcoming game was unveiled in October 2024 together with a early access event. Initially, 31st Union presented the game as a "free-to-play, third-person perspective action-packed experience and an exciting step forward on the genre."

"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 description explains. "Take on the opponents with new abilities, stakes, and obstacles that evolve every session. Do you safely extract with your valuable rewards? Alternatively go big, put it on the line, and pray your team can secure victory? The decision is up to you."

Project Ethos does not have an official debut schedule or consoles, but players can look forward to further news as production advances.