RIP

The series is overrated anyway he wants to create new games not stale rehashes

@Alphazero: Goodnight, sweet prince...

as long as he doesnt try to "explore free-to-play and social gaming spheres" like so many designers who leave their company ill be excited.

well I didn't see that coming

@TripMasterMunky said:

@MormonWarrior said:

@KaneRobot said:

Cliff gets his Super Mario Bros. score published in the first issue of Nintendo Power and later becomes the face of Epic.

Nintendo Power shuts down. Cliff leaves Epic.

The end.

FOLLOW THE MONEY

Haha. It really is the end.

Yeah. I probably should have written "The FUCKING END" instead.

"Ahhhhh, c'mon!" -Marcus Fenix

Good for him, I love hearing stories of people leaving the industry who've been in for a long time because they deserve it and it gives people an esteemed slot to take up and make their own.

I'm sure whatever he does from here will be bigger, better, and more badass.

The videogame world is imploding, lol

I really enjoyed the work he did on GoW...good luck Cliff!

Seems like a lot of major names in the industry have been taking a break or leaving big companies recently.

Truthfully, this might be a good thing in disguise. Epic can continue to make franchise money, and Cliffy can maybe move on to something new. And maybe some new blood is precisely what Epic needs. Who knows? I don't. He does. She doesn't. Or him. Or that guy in the yellow shirt. Maybe that dude with the plaid sports coat and the fro-hawk. Guys like that definitely know what's going on.

The king is dead. Long live the king.

@theanticitizen: It's hard to look right, at you baby.

It's about time he leaves. Not saying this to sound like an ass. The video game business these days is very stressful and I know how it feels to juggle a busy work life and family. It's a good thing he did this before the stress overtakes him and it affects his personal life.

@peEtr said:

This is crazy.

Here's my number, so call me maybe?

This may be the end of an era.

He's practically most defining person in the industry of this generation for me. I hope he's sticking around to help usher in the next generation, but that's probably asking for a lot. He'll do well wherever he ends up, though, I'm sure.

Clifford!

Is it too early to say... It's the end of gaming!

Young Clifford - go forth and make Jazz Jackrabbit 3 for the people!

I wonder if he will move into film like Chris Roberts did.

Feels like all the big names in the industry are retiring...

Holy fuck. This is serious news.

What a crazy news story.

Dude Huge.

Now maybe Judgement has a better chance of coming to pc.

Time to 'Savoir Vivre' - lucky guy gets to go at it while he's still spry.

@DeF said:

This is kinda like a big deal!

I was thinking the same thing. Good luck though, Cliff. I hope you find another way to make tons of more money... :-\

If he starts a new game company, I'm putting in a resume.

One of the absolute greatest creative minds gaming has ever seen. I will quote my own lost over people I respect and admire for their work in the industry: "Very few can match Cliffy B when it comes to knowing what a gamer wants in a game and how to implement everything while totally avoiding frustration. Cliff has so much feeling and precision when it comes to designing a product it makes other game designers feel clumsy"

Good luck!

That totally caught me by surprise. I never thought he would leave anytime soon. But he has been in the industry for a while now. I wish him the best, he's a great developper/personality.

@leejunfan83: lol

Good luck to the man.

Dang. Now I'll never get my Android Pinball 2. SHIT... I mean, DANG!

I'm not super surprised by this...

Seeing him on the past few weeks of Bonus Round at GameTrailers, and the general way he was talking makes sense in the context of him leaving Epic

Well, I wish him the best in his future endeavors. Whatever he does, I hope he's happy and lives well.

That said, I don't really like his games legitimately (Gears of war is fun, but I laugh wholeheartedly at the 'story that will make you cry' part) and listening to him in interviews he comes off as incredibly arrogant.

Gears without Cliff means a"Storm of Bullets" for Epic Games!!!

#yearofdevelopersleavingtostarttheirowncompany

Excited to see what his inevitable new company will come up with, I'm sure it will be awesome.

He should be and will always be addressed as CLIFFY B, DESIGNER OF JAZZ JACKRABBIT, AT EPIC MEGAGAMES.

Shocker.

This will sound more like a eulogy than anything, but here goes:

I remember playing Gears of War for the first time and realizing that I was going to love this game for a long time to come. From the gritty, dark co-op campaign to the addictive multiplayer, it was a game that defined a large portion of my life. As time went on and sequels to the series were released, I grew less attached to the series. Each iteration changed enough of the original palette that it wasn't Gears anymore (to me, anyway). It had changed. Fair enough.

When Cliff did an AMA on Reddit recently, he said, "I try to make it out to the coast as often as possible as it's truly my happy place, especially when there's a full moon. The beach always feels like the ending of Contact on those nights, and I half expect an alien to walk up that's in the shape of my long lost dad." When asked if his relationship with his dad, whom died when Cliff was 15 to heart issues, influenced Marcus' relationship with his dad in Gears of War, he said, "When you beat Gears 3 and watch the ending I think you'll find that my beach answer may resonate more."

So, while some may only see Gears for what it is on the surface (big muscles, guns, and gore), behind it is a human that is capable of expressing something profound even among the clout of all of the big muscles, the guns, and the gore.

Thanks, Cliff. You are an inspiration even if you don't know it.

Madness.

Whaa? Truly shocked to hear about this. Cliff Bleszinski will always be one of the most prominent faces in gaming this generation to me. Maybe Cliff is following Rod Fergusson and jumping ship to Irrational Games?

Whatever his future endeavors, I wish Cliff the best in whatever he's doing next.

That is really unexpected. Although not a big Epic Games fan, his contribution to the industry is unquestionable and is one of the more outspoken game developers and we need more of those. Good luck to your future endeavours!

This is understandable. The man has been doing the same thing for his entire life, he wants to do something else for a change. Good luck to him !

@theanticitizen: It's hard to look right, at you baby.

Holy cow, I didn't see this one coming. And I was getting excited recently with his talk of Epic making PC games again. I remember reading an article on Gamespy where he talked about a remake of Unreal as a Bethesda style open world game. I was really excited about the potential...

Pretty surprising. Never been a huge fan of his games, but he seems like a nice, genuine person. Hope he gets some much-needed rest and lands on his feet.