Once the bold, brash, and enthusiastic face of Epic Games, Cliff Bleszinski has retained many of his loveable qualities over the years. On Nov. 28, he said he hopes his large following will net him a return to the franchise that shot him to stardom—Gears of War.
The case of Bleszinski is a fascinating one. Earning his keep at Epic from humble beginnings in 1992, he would go on to helm the Gears franchise for three entries before choosing to retire from the industry with honor in 2012. The key word chosen by the Bostonian to justify this decision was “jaded.” “It was a combination of gamers feeling jaded, as well as working with some very talented people who were also very jaded,” he said in an interview with Destructoid in 2015.
His hunger for gaming was never fully quelled, and in 2014, he launched Boss Key Productions, a venture that was met with limited success. In fact, so poor were returns on its debut and follow-up games that the company dissolved just four years on. Since then, there has been no Bleszinski in video games albeit not for a want of trying.
Eager to return to the series he masterminded, Bleszinski’s most recent public declaration came on Nov. 28 via his X account (formerly known as Twitter). “Gears 6 is trending,” he said, “MS, you have my #. Maybe I’ll find a way to get ass-eating in the Gears franchise.” Typically him in tone, although one must wonder if his campaign is a pointless one.
According to Giant Bomb’s Jeff Grubb, recent custodian The Coalition is hard at work on Gears 6 after two other projects were scrapped. Game development is very different for each and every studio, yet surely a story plan and general gameplay premise are in place already. Given that both mainline entries following Bleszinski’s first retirement were commercially successful (if not as well-received as those he was involved with), why would they turn to him now?
Furthermore, Bleszinski has been caught with loose lips, which may have further damaged any chance that he did have. A post on Oct. 4, now removed, saw the ex-developer share his excitement at what a writer on Gears 5 told him about the future of the franchise. Outspoken could practically be this man’s middle name, and Microsoft is well aware of that. Advisor or otherwise, bringing him back into the fold could pose more risk than benefit.
