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The renowned publisher has appointed a seasoned producer from Respawn Entertainment to oversee the studio crew at 31st Union, which is currently working on the upcoming third-person roguelike extraction-shooter known as Project Ethos.

Management Transition Comes After Lukewarm Response

The new appointee steps into the leadership position at the development studio following the departure of former leader 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 staff about this organizational change through an official communication, which stressed that early feedback sessions had shown the need for a clearer game identity.

Ismailer noted that the developers is now overhauling Project Ethos with a renewed approach, aiming to satisfy community desires.

A Pattern of Strategic Recruitment

The news mirrors a similar step taken by 2K Games in the summer, when they hired an industry veteran from the Diablo team to contribute to the BioShock development group.

Below is the full text from the president's communication:

Team—

I understand you all just finished your town hall - I trust you’re as excited as I am with the positive developments. Last time I sent you all a message, I mentioned the following: “I am confident in this team. You all are some of the most dedicated and talented developers we have had the chance to partner with - and we’re eager for that collaboration to persist.”

With your dedication and flexibility, especially over the last year, you continue to prove that.

The community feedback from last autumn’s Project ETHOS testing phase was enlightening. It affirmed the promise of a roguelike shooter but made clear we still had refinements needed. It highlighted the requirement for a clearer identity.

It’s been inspiring to see how far you’ve progressed. You took the input to consideration and reimagined the title with a renewed goal - one that’s poised to fulfill its promise to our audience.

The trust in this project strengthens every day. To advance the remarkable progress you’ve made, I’m excited to announce the new hire as the incoming Director of the team. After several months of conversations, he starts with us on next week.

His guidance and experience in the PVP shooter genre is considerable, having spent the past decade and a half creating and leading some of the most popular series in the industry, for example the acclaimed shooter, and lately, the battle royale hit.

Let’s together in greeting him in the coming days. We are all looking forward to persist observing the development of Project ETHOS in the time to ahead.

The President

Background of the New Head

The appointee currently holds the position of executive producer and production lead at the renowned studio for Apex Legends. He previously was employed at major gaming companies in multiple development positions on the Call of Duty games, and, earlier in his career, had assignments at 2K and Electronic Arts.

Game Details and Concept

Project Ethos was revealed in October 2024 in conjunction with a early access event. At the time, 31st Union presented the title as a "free-to-play, third-person perspective roguelike hero shooter and an thrilling advancement on the category."

"Build your perfect run—or die trying—in this 3rd-person action shooter! Build your hero in live gameplay to match your preferred approach," the description explains. "Face the rivals with unique powers, stakes, and obstacles that change every session. Will you safely extract with your collected items? Alternatively go big, risk it all, and pray your group can achieve the highest spot? The decision is yours."

The game lacks an official debut schedule or platforms, but players can anticipate further news as creation advances.