Well this comes as a shock.  Cliff Bleszinski, the grandfather of Gears of War, is leaving Epic Games after a 20 year stint.  He’s leaving the position of Design Director, but he’s worked in many different positions within the company and he’s really REALLY been a big part of Epics recent growth.  In a letter to his coworkers Cliffy B said:

“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.”

We’re not sure yet what his next adventure will be but we’ll continue to keep an eye out.  Vice President of Epic Mark Rein said, “I’ll miss watching his star shine from such a close vantage point but I’ll still look forward to watching his continued success.”  I think it’s pretty tough to argue that.  His contributions for gaming have been so great so far, hopefully he’ll have the platform to continue to do great things for the industry in the future!

via Epic Games