Cliff Bleszinski, design director known for his creative work on the Gears of War and Unreal Tournament series, has departed Epic Games (http://games.ign.com/objects/025/025194.html). In an EpicGames.com (http://epicgames.com/community/2012/10/cliff-bleszinski-departs-epic/) blog post, Bleszinski seems to hint he may be leaving the industry outright.
"I’ve been doing this since I was a teenager, and outside of my sabbatical last year, I have been going non-stop. I literally grew up in this business," Bleszinski said. "And now that I’m grown up, it’s time for a much needed break. I will miss the projects, the playtests, the debates, and most importantly, the people."
Epic Games stated, "During the past two decades, Cliff has helped shape many successful games that have captured the imaginations of millions of players around the world. We are grateful for his influence on Epic’s legacy, from the wild adventures Jazz Jackrabbit to the visceral combat of Gears of War."
Bleszinski joins the growing list of Epic departures. Earlier this year, Epic Games' subsidiary People Can Fly saw creative top-bosses depart the company (http://www.ign.com/articles/2012/08/13/epic-games-buys-gears-of-war-judgment-dev) as well. Following that, Epic's director of production Rod Fergusson left Epic (http://www.ign.com/articles/2012/08/09/gears-of-war-dev-joins-bioshock-infinite-team) to work on BioShock Infinite.
Source: IGN.com (http://www.ign.com/articles/2012/10/03/cliff-bleszinski-leaves-epic-games)
This news caught me by surprise. I can't see him staying away for too long. It'll be interesting to see what type of impact this has on Epic Games.