The renowned publisher has welcomed a seasoned producer from Respawn Entertainment to direct the studio crew at their internal studio, which is currently developing the forthcoming over-the-shoulder action-packed title known as Project Ethos.
Management Change Follows Poor Response
The new appointee takes on the role of studio head at 31st Union following the departure of previous head Michael Condrey, who was removed from his post due to the game's underwhelming initial reveal last fall.
On Wednesday, the company's top executive a key figure informed employees about this organizational change through an official communication, which stressed that playtesting had revealed the need for a clearer vision.
The president stated that the developers is now overhauling Project Ethos with a renewed approach, aiming to better meet player expectations.
Trend of Strategic Acquisitions
The news follows a similar action taken by the publisher in August, when they brought on Rod Fergusson from the Diablo team to assist with the beloved franchise studio Cloud Chamber.
Here is the entire text from the president's communication:
Dear Team—
I know you all just completed your gathering - I trust you’re as excited as I am with the recent updates. Previously I sent you all a message, I expressed the following: “I believe in this group. You all are some of the most dedicated and creative creators we have had the pleasure to collaborate with - and we’re looking forward for that collaboration to continue.”
Given your hard work and flexibility, especially over the past twelve months, you continue to prove that.
The gamer responses from last autumn’s the game demo was revealing. It confirmed the promise of a action-packed game but made clear we still had refinements needed. It uncovered the need for a clearer vision.
The progress is encouraging to see how far you’ve progressed. You embraced the feedback to mind and reimagined the title with a revitalized goal - one that’s positioned to achieve its potential to our audience.
Our confidence in Project ETHOS grows every day. To further the incredible development you’ve made, I’m excited to welcome Ben Brinkman as the new Lead of the team. After a period of conversations, Ben officially joins us on next week.
Ben’s guidance and expertise in the PVP shooter field is extensive, having dedicated the recent years developing and overseeing some of the most well-known titles in the industry, for example Call of Duty: Black Ops, and more recently, Apex Legends.
Let’s together in receiving him soon. We are all looking forward to keep seeing the evolution of the game in the time to ahead.
The President
Experience of the Incoming Head
The appointee currently holds the role of senior developer and production lead at Respawn Entertainment for their flagship title. He earlier worked at Treyarch and Activision in diverse production roles on the Call of Duty series, and, earlier in his career, had periods at other industry leaders.
Game Details and Vision
Project Ethos was revealed in last year in conjunction with a early access event. At the time, the developers described the game as a "no-cost, third-person perspective action-packed experience and an exciting advancement on the category."
"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. "Face the rivals with fresh skills, stakes, and tests that evolve every round. Do you safely extract with your valuable rewards? Or take a risk, risk it all, and hope your group can secure victory? The choice is yours."
The game has not yet received an official release date or supported systems, but players can anticipate more updates as production continues.
