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The renowned publisher has appointed a seasoned producer from the creators of Apex Legends to lead the development team at 31st Union, which is currently developing the anticipated over-the-shoulder action-packed title known as Project Ethos.

Leadership Shift Comes After Mixed Response

The new appointee assumes the leadership position at 31st Union following the departure of former leader Michael Condrey, who was reportedly let go due to Project Ethos' lackluster early showing last fall.

Recently, the company's top executive David Ismailer informed staff about this organizational change through an official communication, which stressed that early feedback sessions had indicated the need for a distinct direction.

Ismailer stated that the team is now overhauling the project with a refreshed focus, aiming to address gamer demands.

Trend of Key Recruitment

The news follows a similar action taken by 2K Games in the summer, when they hired an industry veteran from Blizzard to assist with the beloved franchise studio Cloud Chamber.

Here is the entire content from the president's memo:

Team—

I know you all just wrapped up your meeting - I hope you’re as thrilled as I am with the good news. Last time I sent you all a update, I stated the following: “I believe in this team. You all are some of the most driven and innovative developers we have had the pleasure to partner with - and we’re eager for that relationship to continue.”

Given your hard work and flexibility, especially over the last year, you repeatedly show that.

The gamer responses from last autumn’s the game demo was informative. It affirmed the promise of a roguelike shooter but indicated we still had improvements to make. It revealed the requirement for a sharper vision.

It’s been inspiring to see how far you’ve advanced. You embraced the feedback to consideration and revamped the title with a revitalized goal - one that’s ready to achieve its ambition to our players.

Our confidence in Project ETHOS strengthens every day. To advance the incredible development you’ve made, I’m excited to welcome the new hire as the incoming Director of the team. After some time of talks, he officially joins us on the specified date.

His leadership and expertise in the PVP shooter field is considerable, having spent the recent years developing and overseeing some of the most well-known titles in gaming, such as Call of Duty: Black Ops, and more recently, the battle royale hit.

Let’s together in receiving him in the coming days. We are all looking forward to persist witnessing the evolution of Project ETHOS in the weeks to follow.

The President

Experience of the Incoming Leader

Brinkman currently holds the role of senior developer and head of production at the renowned studio for Apex Legends. He earlier worked at Treyarch and Activision in multiple development positions on the Call of Duty series, and, before that, had periods at other industry leaders.

Title Information and Concept

The upcoming game was announced in October 2024 in conjunction with a public demo. Initially, 31st Union described the game 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! Build your hero in real-time to fit your unique tactics," the game's pitch reads. "Face the competition with unique powers, risks, and obstacles that evolve every session. Will you leave securely with your collected items? Or go big, gamble everything, and trust your squad can earn top ranking? The choice is in your hands."

The game has not yet received an official release date or platforms, but players can anticipate additional details as production progresses.