🔗 Share this article

The renowned publisher has welcomed Ben Brinkman from Respawn Entertainment to oversee the development team at their internal studio, which is currently working on the upcoming third-person roguelike extraction-shooter known as this innovative game.

Management Shift Comes After Mixed Response

Brinkman steps into the leadership position at the development studio following the exit of previous head the ex-Sledgehammer Games executive, who was removed from his post due to the game's lackluster unveiling last autumn.

Recently, the company's top executive David Ismailer informed team members about this strategic move through an official communication, which stressed that early feedback sessions had shown the requirement for a clearer vision.

Ismailer expressed that the team is now refining Project Ethos with a refreshed approach, aiming to better meet gamer demands.

A Pattern of Strategic Hires

The news echoes a similar move taken by the publisher in August, when they recruited Rod Fergusson from the Diablo team to contribute to the beloved franchise studio Cloud Chamber.

Below is the entire content from the president's announcement:

Hello Everyone—

I understand you all just completed your town hall - I trust you’re as excited as I am with the positive developments. Previously I sent you all a update, I stated the following: “I am confident in this crew. You all are some of the most motivated and creative developers we have had the opportunity to partner with - and we’re looking forward for that collaboration to continue.”

Given your hard work and versatility, particularly over the last year, you repeatedly show that.

The community feedback from last fall’s Project ETHOS playtest was informative. It confirmed the potential of a action-packed game but told us we still had improvements to make. It revealed the need for a sharper brand.

It has been motivating to see how far you’ve advanced. You accepted the feedback to mind and revamped Project ETHOS with a renewed vision - one that’s poised to deliver on its potential to our audience.

The belief in this project increases every day. To advance the remarkable advancement you’ve made, I’m excited to welcome the new hire as the new Director of the team. Following some time of talks, Ben comes aboard us on next week.

Ben’s management and experience in the competitive gaming field is considerable, having devoted the past decade and a half developing and overseeing some of the most popular series in gaming, for example Call of Duty: Black Ops, and more recently, the battle royale hit.

Please join me in welcoming Ben in the coming days. We are all eager to persist seeing the evolution of the game in the months to ahead.

The President

Background of the New Head

Brinkman presently holds the role of senior developer and head of production at Respawn Entertainment for their flagship title. Brinkman earlier worked at Treyarch and Activision in multiple development positions on the Call of Duty series, and, before that, had stints at other industry leaders.

Game Information and Concept

Project Ethos was announced in last year in conjunction with a public demo. Then, 31st Union portrayed the title as a "free-to-play, third-person perspective action-packed experience and an exciting advancement on the style."

"Build your perfect run—or die trying—in this 3rd-person action shooter! Customize your character in real-time to suit your personal playstyle," the description explains. "Face the competition with new abilities, challenges, and challenges that shift every session. Do you leave securely with your valuable rewards? Or aim high, gamble everything, and trust your group can secure victory? The decision is yours."

Project Ethos does not have an official release date or consoles, but players can look forward to more updates as creation continues.