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Bleszinski talks leaving Epic

Former design director at Gears of War studio says 20 years at the company left him "burnt out."

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Cliff Bleszinski left Epic Games last year because he was "burnt out" and no longer had a personal project he was deeply invested in, the developer explained on his newly launched Tumblr page.

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"I was burnt out after 20 years of working there," Bleszinski wrote. "I also feel that in becoming the overall 'master of the fun' as Design Director I didn’t have 'my baby' project any longer, which was something that I really missed."

Since leaving the Gears of War studio, Bleszinski has said he may open a new studio and get to work on a project code-named Silverstreak. At the same time, he did not rule out the possibility of joining an established developer and has met with numerous companies, including Activision and Electronic Arts.

Whatever the case, Bleszinski said he enjoys not doing much in the way of anything in his post-Epic career, but also feels the urge to get back to making games.

"Some days I wake up at noon, shuffle around the house, do nothing, and I love it," he said. "Other days I'm rip roaring and ready to go. I miss the fun playtests, the interactions with co-workers. I miss getting new builds with code progress to test, and sitting with a coder or artist and nudging things until they feel perfect."

"I miss the comic con fans, the fan tattoos, the cosplayers, the folks who got married after they met online in our games, the reviews, the fun business trips," he added. "I don't miss the deadlines, the hours, the cynical journalists who twist your words, the jaded gamers, and the difficulty of development."

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