Gears of War Designer Cliff Bleszinski Reveals Struggle With Alcoholism, Discusses the Failure of LawBreakers and Potential Return to Video Game Development

Video crippled developer Cliff Bleszinski has revealed his conflict with alcoholism and however it affected not conscionable his enactment connected Gears of War but contributed to the nonaccomplishment of leader shooter LawBreakers and his studio, Boss Key Productions.

Bleszinski was 1 of the main designers astatine Epic Games, moving connected Jazz Jackrabbit, the Unreal games, and Gears of War. He near Epic to recovered his ain studio, Boss Key Productions, but its games, LawBreakers and Radical Heights, failed, and Boss Key unopen down.

Now 51, Bleszinski told 80 Level that he’s mostly to blasted for the illness of Boss Key. "I was a functioning alcoholic," helium said. "Then I became a non-functioning alcoholic." Bleszinski said helium is present 4 months sober, and is considering a instrumentality to video crippled development.

Cliff Bleszinski was pb decorator connected the Gears of War trilogy. Photo by Amy Graves/WireImage.

The wide-ranging interrogation discusses everything from LawBreakers’ nonaccomplishment (“LawBreakers tripped truthful Concord could faceplant”), caller crippled ideas that ne'er came to anything, and the decease of his dog. Bleszinski admitted his ego played a portion successful his assorted mistakes (he refused to co-found Boss Key with erstwhile chap Gears developer Rod Fergusson, for example).

Bleszinski said that his problems with intoxicant began successful 2003 portion moving connected Unreal Tournament, but extended done the improvement of the Gears of War games,

"The Gears of War trilogy was mostly developed hungover by me," helium said. "I was, astatine that point, a functioning alcoholic."

"You spell to your GDCs, you spell to your E3s, you person 3 nights successful a enactment of going to parties, oregon vino meal with your partners and past you person edifice lobby bars," helium added. "My tolerance was truthful precocious that different developers would person a fewer and I would get each of this confidential accusation and retrieve it. It was astir similar my superpower for a while."

In March, Bleszinski suffered a seizure and ended up successful hospital, helium said. He gave up drinking aft that, and is present seeing a therapist. "Eventually, my assemblage was similar 'F**k you,' and I realized this is maine hitting a partition and it's clip to springiness this up aft 25 years of partying," helium said.

Now, though, Bleszinski appears to beryllium doing better, telling 80 Level that helium is considering a instrumentality to video crippled development. He made it clear, though, that helium has nary volition of making different PvP game, insisting: "Good luck to anyone successful that space."

Wesley is Director, News astatine IGN. Find him connected Twitter astatine @wyp100. You tin scope Wesley astatine [email protected] oregon confidentially astatine [email protected].