Cliff Bleszinski Leaves Epic Games

[Weaver]

I see this as a good thing. I really don't think his latest design work (ie, everything since and including gears of war) was good at all.

 

[Jumplion]

Dude the game industry has only been around for 35 years pretty much. (or 42ish if you count the very earliest stuff)

You expect someone to have worked in the industry since Pong? Don't you think that's a touch unrealistic? Even someone like Richard Garriot has only been around since 1980. Peter Molyneux since 1982 and these are some of the oldest guys around.

No, I expect people to be able to last more than 20 years just like most other mediums (which was the 1990s, my god do I feel old), and 30 years is still right around what I said before. I do not expect people since the Pong era to be sticking around since, and this is key, many of them were already old during that time and can't reasonably stay.

Nowadays, young people are entering the industry and leaving it at a much higher turnover rate than other industries, this is fact. I wish I had the article, but I do recall reading that people who work in the games industry end up retiring at an earlier age than people who work in other industries (feel free to prove me wrong if you can find otherwise, I genuinely hope that this is not the case). Cliff Bleszinski entered the industry at a fairly young age, and yet at age 37, where actors and directors and some musicians would be at their prime, he is already leaving it (until he states otherwise, this is what I am assuming)? That is a ridiculous turnover rate no matter how you spin it.

This is something that isn't just going to fix itself in the next 40 years, especially with how rapidly the industry has already become a mainstay in entertainment. The argument of "the industry hasn't been around for as long! Let it mature!" doesn't really hold water, at least for me personally, as this industry evolves extremely rapidly, more so than any other medium. It has taken only 20ish years since the 70s for games to be a main part of people's daily lives, it took movies much, much longer.

Also how many actors have come and gone? Many Thousands. That's how many.

You'd be surprised how many actors are still working, either for direct-to-video movies or just minor roles. And not just actors, directors and writers and editors, along with musicians and whatnot.

And there's a difference between an actor/director/musician that failed to make it big in the first place, that is entirely on the individual. What I am saying is that people who are successful in their respective industries tend to stay within it one way or another, either continuing to act or perform, or becoming catalysts for other performers by creating agencies and whatnot. The games industry is not doing this, instead chewing up and spitting out people within it when they are creatively dry.

 

[Dfskelleton]

Suddenly, there was a deep, Cliffy B shaped hole in my heart.

OT: Well, best of luck to him wit his future pursuits. I'm not a big Gears fan, but I always found what he had to say funny for some reason. It's going to be hard to think of Epic games without thinking about Cliffy B anymore.

 

[Studsmack]

This comes as a huge surprise to me! I thought he was spearheading the development for Fortnite. That, and he just recently came off a GameTrailers segment and Reddit IAMA.

In either case, I wish him the best! Does anyone else feel a headline reading Cliff Bleszinski opening up a mobile gaming studio coming?

 

[Mr.Pandah]

Awww...it's actually really sad to see him go. He was a huge personality for the gaming business and it'll be a while before we have someone around like him again I feel. =/

The longer the better. Really, why do people find giant manchildren who act like cocky highschool jocks appealing? The man could have been leaking talent from every orifice, he still had one of the most unlikable public personas in media.

It's because he HAD a personality.

 

[Frostbite3789]

And not a single fuck was given that day!

Judging by nigh every other post in this thread, I think it's prudent to say you're wrong.

 

[josemlopes]

Goodbye sweet prince

But really, its kind of weird seeing him leave Epic since everything seems to go fine and he looked like he was doing what he liked (he always looks super excited when talking about Fortnite, and that game is the type of game that he wanted to do for some time now). He also sounded really thrilled for the Oculus Rift, he even mentions them in the Gametrailers Bonus Round recently has the next big thing.

This really just came out of nowhere.

 

[Gunner 51]

The longer the better. Really, why do people find giant manchildren who act like cocky highschool jocks appealing? The man could have been leaking talent from every orifice, he still had one of the most unlikable public personas in media.

Please allow me to drop the following names...

Bobby Kotick
John Richitello
Jack Thompson
Michael Atkinson
Keith Vaz

Cliffy B may not have been the most mature guy on the block, but I'll say this for him, he was one of the more positive influences upon gaming. (Mostly...) Plus he's not generally trying to bleed gamers dry or trying to ban any game with so much as handbags at dawn in terms of violence.

 

[Sheo_Dagana]

On a scale of 1-10, I'd say I give zero fucks about this. I hate Cliffy B and find him to be one of the most immature and irritating personalities in the gaming industry.

Thanks for the Gears of War and all, Mr. Bleszinski, but please... stay away for a very long time.

 

[MorphingDragon]

No, I expect people to be able to last more than 20 years just like most other mediums (which was the 1990s, my god do I feel old), and 30 years is still right around what I said before. I do not expect people since the Pong era to be sticking around since, and this is key, many of them were already old during that time and can't reasonably stay.

Nowadays, young people are entering the industry and leaving it at a much higher turnover rate than other industries, this is fact. I wish I had the article, but I do recall reading that people who work in the games industry end up retiring at an earlier age than people who work in other industries (feel free to prove me wrong if you can find otherwise, I genuinely hope that this is not the case). Cliff Bleszinski entered the industry at a fairly young age, and yet at age 37, where actors and directors and some musicians would be at their prime, he is already leaving it (until he states otherwise, this is what I am assuming)? That is a ridiculous turnover rate no matter how you spin it.

This is something that isn't just going to fix itself in the next 40 years, especially with how rapidly the industry has already become a mainstay in entertainment. The argument of "the industry hasn't been around for as long! Let it mature!" doesn't really hold water, at least for me personally, as this industry evolves extremely rapidly, more so than any other medium. It has taken only 20ish years since the 70s for games to be a main part of people's daily lives, it took movies much, much longer.

At least as far as average creatives and workers are concerned, isn't the industry average for someone to be working like 5-10 years? I think it was James Portnow or the other guy who pegged it in a talk.

I spent more time of my life at University.

 

[ScruffyMcBalls]

Looks like it's going to be a mighty fine day.

 

[Treblaine]

So is he going to stop blackballing any chance of PC-releases of Epic Games?

Yeah "Cliffy B" we haven't forgotten that shit.

 

[Doclector]

The man who gave us a chainsaw attached to an assault rifle is backing out of game development. As a man of simple, violent tastes, this makes me sad.

Good night, sweet prince, and short-lived king raven flights sing thee to your sleep.

 

[Chester Rabbit]

i guess this is sad?

kind of an upside for me, now i don't have to hear about the dumbass things he says like they matter at all

Yeah pretty much this.
I mean I can only see this as a good thing.

 

[Smooth Operator]

Forgive my ignorance but is this the same guy from Epic Games that made the claim that consoles are hardware and thus graphically superior to PCs?

That would be the guy.

Credit where it's due he did design great things like Jazz Jackrabbit and Unreal, but in 2006 he clearly suffered some sort of severe head trauma because after that Epic descended into the creative capabilities of a poo flinging baboon, not to mention their public outings...
Hopefully this means some sanity will return to Epic.

 

[AzrealMaximillion]

I'm actually sad to see him go. He's one of the few game developers to leave the business in the last few years that actually understood what gamers wanted.

Generic Brown Cover Based Shooter Male Power Fantasies?

Also, didn't Cliffy B. fire an employee for being gay or something a few years back?

I didn't hear of him firing anyone.

Also, yes he's behind Gears of War, a game that most developers that made shooters shamelessly copied. You're ignoring a lot of his other accomplishments just to focus on that though.

The Unreal Tournament series was a milestone for shooters, that cannot be denied.

Jazz Jackrabbit was tons of fun. The First Brothers in Arms game (Road to 30) was one of the better WWII FPS games before COD came and had everyone copy them.

And Shadow Complex was one of the better XBLA titles in a market flooded with platformers that were not unique at all.

Point is, saying that Cliffy B is mainly responsible for "Generic Brown Cover Based Shooter Male Power Fantasies" is such a strawman. Most gamers that get tag a game with that 'generic brown' criticism have most likely never played that game in question and are just taking a glance at a game and hating on it without playing it past the first 30 minutes. Its a term coined by lazy reviewers that gamers started using to sound cool.

 

[MarsProbe]

Man, I actually find this pretty sad. Way back in the days of Unreal Tournament, I remember basing the majority of my map DLs of Cliffy B's recommendations, based on that "Ownage" site he ran. DM-Pimpslap was a great map.

All the best for whatever it is he plans to do next...

 

[Grey_Focks]

Huh, and such a short time after his AMA...Certainly nothing there that would hint at this, that I noticed. Oh well, I'll miss him, at least.

Also, didn't Cliffy B. fire an employee for being gay or something a few years back?

.....really? couldn't atleast do a quick google before throwing that out there? Eh, if it gets the flames going all according to plan, I suppose.

 

[purifico]

I blame EA! Oh, wait...