Cliff Bleszinski steps away from gaming as his studio closes

Posted on May 15, 2018

Cliff Bleszinski has taken to Twitter to announce that his newly formed gaming studio, Boss Key Productions, is closing. Bleszinski has also revealed that he will be departing from the gaming industry, at least for now. For those unaware of his work, Bleszinski has been a massive part of the gaming industry since he joined Epic Games back in 1992. He was involved in the creation of games such as Jazz Jackrabbit and the Unreal series, as well as working as lead designer on the Gears of War series.

Things haven’t been as illustrious for the development veteran in recent years. After departing Epic Games, Bleszinski started his own studio and went on to develop Lawbreakers and Radical Heights. Unfortunately neither game stood out from amongst its competition and we are now seeing the result of those failures.

The announcement of Boss Key Productions’ closure isn’t particularly surprising for anybody following their games and the lack of players they were attracting. What happens next for the developers who have now lost their jobs is still up in the air but hopefully they don’t struggle to find a new position within another studio. As for Bleszinski himself, some time off is probably well deserved. Although we will certainly eagerly await his return to the scene, should it ever happen.