The Gaming Giant Hires Popular Battle Royale Lead to Rescue Troubled Hero Shooter Project Ethos

The renowned publisher has welcomed Ben Brinkman from Respawn Entertainment to oversee the development team at their internal studio, which is currently developing the anticipated third-person roguelike extraction-shooter known as Project Ethos.

Management Transition Comes After Poor Reception

The new appointee takes on the role of studio head at the development studio following the exit of former leader Michael Condrey, who was removed from his post due to the game's underwhelming early showing last fall.

On Wednesday, the company's top executive David Ismailer notified staff about this decision through an official communication, which emphasized that early feedback sessions had indicated the need for a more defined game identity.

The president stated that the developers is now reimagining the project with a renewed vision, aiming to better meet gamer demands.

Trend of Key Acquisitions

This announcement echoes a similar action taken by 2K Games in August, when they hired Rod Fergusson from Blizzard to work on the BioShock studio Cloud Chamber.

Below is the full text from Ismailer's announcement:

Team—

I understand you all just completed your town hall - I trust you’re as enthusiastic as I am with the recent updates. Last time I sent you all a update, I expressed the following: “I believe in this group. You all are some of the most motivated and creative developers we have had the opportunity to collaborate with - and we’re excited for that relationship to continue.”

Given your hard work and flexibility, particularly over the last year, you continue to prove that.

The player input from last autumn’s the game demo was revealing. It affirmed the appeal of a action-packed game but indicated we still had improvements to make. It highlighted the requirement for a more distinct identity.

The progress is encouraging to see how far you’ve advanced. You took the criticism to heart and overhauled Project ETHOS with a renewed direction - one that’s ready to achieve its ambition to our players.

The belief in Project ETHOS strengthens every day. To advance the outstanding progress you’ve made, I’m excited to welcome the new hire as the latest Director of 31st Union. After some time of talks, Ben starts with us on next week.

Ben’s leadership and experience in the competitive gaming genre is vast, having spent the past decade and a half creating and leading some of the most recognizable franchises in gaming, including Call of Duty: Black Ops, and lately, Apex Legends.

I invite you all in welcoming Ben next week. We are all looking forward to keep observing the development of Project ETHOS in the time to come.

The President

Background of the New Head

Brinkman presently serves in the role of executive producer and head of production at the renowned studio for Apex Legends. Brinkman earlier worked at major gaming companies in various development positions on the iconic franchise games, and, before that, had stints at 2K and Electronic Arts.

Title Details and Vision

Project Ethos was revealed in October 2024 in conjunction with a early access event. At the time, 31st Union presented the game as a "no-cost, third-person perspective action-packed experience and an exciting evolution on the genre."

"Create your ideal gameplay session—or face defeat—in this engaging over-the-shoulder adventure! Build your hero in real-time to suit your personal playstyle," the game's pitch reads. "Take on the opponents with fresh skills, stakes, and challenges that shift every match. Do you leave securely with your collected items? Or go big, risk it all, and trust your squad can achieve the highest spot? The choice is yours."

Project Ethos lacks an announced release date or supported systems, but players can look forward to more updates as development advances.