Cliff Bleszinski Leaves Epic Games

Epic Games have announced that designer Cliff Bleszinski has left to “chart the next stage of his career.”

Cliffy B’s departure was revealed today via Epic’s blog. On their Blog Cliffy B has written his own statement regarding leaving Epic Games.

Cliff writes;

“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,” wrote Epic 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!”

He also added:

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.

Cliff Bleszinski, worked at Epic for 20 years before his departure, Cliffy B played a key role in Epic Game’s success and was known as  the creative vision behind Gears of War, Bulletstorm, and many of Epic’s other games.