Longtime Epic Games veteran, Cliff Bleszinski, has parted ways with the company, Epic and Bleszinski announced today.
“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,” said Epic Games founder and CEO, Tim Sweeney.
“Cliff leaves Epic with our gratitude for his many contributions, and our wishes for continued success in the next chapter of his life!”
Bleszinski also offered a few words on the subject.
“I’ve been doing this since I was a teenager, and outside of my sabbatical last year, I have been going non-stop,” he said in a statement meant for colleagues and the press. “I literally grew up in this business, as Mike [Rein] likes to say. And now that I’m grown up, it’s time for a much needed break.”
He continued: “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.”
During his tenure at Epic, Bleszinski has helped create and popularize franchises such as Jazz Jackrabbit and Gears of War. He’s also an outspoken aficionado of Japanese-developed games and once said that, were he ever to leave Epic, he might like to serve as a consultant to Japanese developers.
