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What Impact Will Cliff Bleszinski's Departure from Epic Have on the Gaming Industry?

Cliff Bleszinski, also known as CliffyB, has been the face of Epic Games for many years now, but the former Design Director at the development studio has called it quits--for now. After stating that he'd been doing the job since he was a teenager and stating that he simply needed to take some time off, Bleszinski left a most disappointed company and possibly leaving some fans feeling a bit betrayed, or at least saddened by the news. Of course, Bleszinski was one of the key contributors to the creation and emergence of the Unreal Tournament series and also one of the creators of one of the most prominent series of this gaming generation--Gears of War. With the release of many great games on the horizon such as Fortnite and Gears of War: Judgment, the future of Epic Games appears bright, and the contributions Bleszinski made to the gaming industry will still be felt in the near future.

Cliff Bleszinski's career began back in the early '90s with a few smaller budget titles, but he soon earned his way up to working for a small company known as Epic MegaGames, which of course, we now refer to as Epic Games. The studio produced several popular titles over the next few years with Jazz Jackrabbit, Tyrian and others, but in 1998 a new series known as Unreal would be introduced that would help to create one of the biggest surges ever seen in a single genre of gaming since Mario revolutionized the platforming genre. For nearly ten more years, Unreal would be recognized as one of the best shooter series around, and with Cliff Bleszinski leading the charge, Epic Games would soon change the shooter genre yet again with the introduction of a completely new series available exclusively for Xbox 360 in 2006.

Gears of War introduced gamers everywhere to a whole new style of play with a cover based, third-person shooter entry that would soon become as iconic as any game of this generation. Gears of War took players on a journey following the tales of Marcus Fenix and Delta Squad trying to save the human population from extinction in a post apocalyptic world. Over the next five years, the Gears of War series would continue to redefine itself with some mixed results, but the ongoing struggle of human vs. Locust and a new threat known as the Lambent would continue to thrill gamers everywhere and many great multiplayer showdowns around the world. The Gears of War series is one of the most influential of all-time, and you have to look no further than Gears of War 2's Horde Mode to see one of many examples of why this fantastic series may have its best years ahead even with the recent departure.

While the loss of Cliff Bleszinski definitely leaves a hole in the team that will be hard to fill, it only appears Epic Games will continue to thrive and produce great games fans can continue to enjoy for years to come. Gears of War: Judgment appears to be another great game to add to the Gears of War legacy, and with other great titles like Fortnite on the way, Epic is proving that it can stray from the shooter genre to produce games that a more casual gamer can enjoy. As for Cliff Bleszinski, he's been quoted as saying he loved the job he quit and he was only taking a break, so perhaps, he comes back to Epic Games a few months or a couple years from now, but its also possible he's washed his hands of Epic Games for good. Whether or not we'll see the developer back in the gaming industry or not remains to be seen, but we're keeping our fingers crossed that he will, because the industry has surely taken a hit with his retirement. Either way, enjoy your time off Cliff, and please come back soon to bring us some more great games and refreshing ideas whether for Epic Games or a new company!

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