Cliff Bleszinski giving PAX East keynote

Cliff Bleszinski will give the keynote "storytime" address at PAX East 2013. Penny Arcade's Jerry "Tycho" Holkins announced the news, saying the former Epic Games design director has "seen a lot of sh*t and is in a very good position to handle this format."

Last year's PAX East keynote speaker was Prince of Persia creator Jordan Mechner. PAX East comes to Boston, Massachusetts, March 22-24 this year. Saturday and three-day passes are entirely sold out.

Bleszinski left Epic Games in October after 20 years. Since leaving the company, Bleszinski has visited the offices of Activision, Zynga, Double Fine, and Electronic Arts. He has also met with God of War and Twisted Metal designer David Jaffe and has been courted by Ubisoft.

In a December interview, Bleszinski said he intends to eventually open a new studio and get to work on a new intellectual property codenamed "Silverstreak." The longtime Gears of War designer explained that he wants to redefine his career, saying, "I don't really want just the whole chainsaw gun to be my legacy."

In addition to announcing Bleszinski as the PAX East keynote speaker, Holkins revealed the concert schedule for the now-annual event. Friday's lineup includes the Video Game Orchestra, Those Who Fight, and Protomen, while Saturday's schedule features Sam Hart, Frontalot, Jonathan Coulton, and Paul and Storm.