Gears of War Creator Cliff Bleszinski Leaves Epic Games

Cliff Bleszinski, the man behind franchises like Gears of War, has announced that he’s leaving his job as design director for Epic Games, in order to take a break from the industry and plan out his next projects.

Epic Games has delivered a wide array of impressive games for many years, ranging from cult classics like the Unreal Tournament ones, to popular franchises like Gears of War. Many of these games were influenced, more or less, by Cliff Bleszinski, who joined Epic 20 years ago and quickly rose through the studio’s ranks, eventually becoming its design director.

Now, it seems that Bleszinski has decided to retreat from this position, confirming alongside Epic that he’ll leave the large independent studio.

“I’ve been doing this since I was a teenager, and outside of my sabbatical last year, I have been going non-stop. I literally grew up in this business, as Mike [Capps, Epic Games president] likes to say. And now that I’m grown up, it’s time for a much needed break.”

Bleszinski once again praised the great environment at Epic and its various internal studios, saying that it’s going to be hard to detach himself from the company.

“I will miss the projects, the playtests, the debates, and most importantly, the people. Epic only hires the best of the best, and it has been a joy working with each and every one of you on a daily basis, whether you were hired weeks ago or decades ago. I have been fortunate enough to collaborate with a variety of disciplines, from code to art to marketing and PR – it’s been one big, rewarding learning experience. I’m confident that each project that is being built, whether at Epic, Chair, PCF, or Impossible will be top notch and will please gamers and critics alike.”

Epic posted an even bigger statement concerning Bleszinski’s departure on its website, complete with insight from the studio’s CEO, Tim Sweeney, as well as its President, Mike Capps, so check it out here.