Gears of War and Unreal Creator CliffyB Departs Epic Games

Cliff “CliffyB” Bleszkinski has been with synonymous with the Epic Games label for as long as anyone can remember. For many, CliffyB is Epic Games.

Today, Cliff Bleskzinski’s departure from the company was announced on the official Epic Games blog. He leaves behind his position as the studio’s design director.

Together with his team at Epic Games, Bleszinski was responsible for the creation and development of iconic games like Jazz Jackrabbit, Unreal, and Gears of War.

Tim Sweeney, Epic’s founder and CEO, had this to say: “In 20 wonderful years with Epic, Cliff Bleszinski has grown into a true design luminary, and his contributions to the ‘Unreal’ and ‘Gears’ series have helped shape the game industry into what it is today. Cliff leaves Epic with our gratitude for his many contributions, and our wishes for continued success in the next chapter of his life!”

Fellow developers Mark Rein and Michael Capps also shared their farewells on the blog.

The studio also shared an excerpt from Bleszinski’s personal note to his colleagues at Epic Games:

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 likes to say. And now that I’m grown up, it’s time for a much needed break.

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.

We wish CliffyB the best of luck in his future endeavors.