CliffBleszinski
Latest
Recommended Reading: The fate of Facebook's free internet project
What happened to Facebook's grand plan to wire the world? Jessi Hempel, Wired For years, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg touted the company's Internet.org initiative that sought to bring connectivity to everyone in the world. It was presented an ambitious humanitarian effort, but things didn't go according to plan. Wired tells the story of what happened to the project following criticism and bans from local governments.
‘Lawbreakers’ studio Boss Key shuts down
Boss Key Productions, the studio founded by Unreal and Gears of War designer Cliff "CliffyB" Bleszinski, has shut down. The small company spent years making the competitive shooter Lawbreakers, but when that game fizzled, the studio sped out the game show-esque shooter Radical Heights to tap into the battle royale craze. Apparently, that wasn't enough to save the studio, Bleszinski wrote in a public letter on Twitter.
'Radical Heights' is Cliff Bleszinski's free-to-play battle royale game
That didn't take long. After announcing that LawBreakers wasn't living up to expectations (and making enough money), and teasing a new project on Friday, developer Boss Key has revealed the "passion project" it teased. Try to feign surprise when you find out that it's a free-to-play battle royale game. On the surface, Radical Heights stands out from the crowd with a vibrant, quasi cel-shaded, retro-futuristic game-show vibe that hearkens back to the '80s. Meaning, there are a lot of extreme pastels and hot pink triangles complementing its over-the-top Saturday morning cartoon tone.
'LawBreakers' open beta runs all weekend on PC and PS4
We've had a few cracks at LawBreakers, the futuristic cops vs. robbers game from Gears of War creator Cliff Bleszinski and Boss Key Productions, but now anyone can play on PC and PS4. An open beta test runs until 10 AM ET Monday morning, which should be plenty of time to see if it's a worthy competitor to the likes of Overwatch. There are some new wrinkles in this beta test like direct integration with Twitch and the PS4 version is tweaked for better play on the console, so go ahead and dive in (after checking out a few tutorials) before the game officially launches on August 8th.
'Lawbreakers' prepares to take on 'Overwatch' with closed beta
Lawbreakers, the new team-based shooter from Gears of War developer Cliff Bleszinski and Boss Key Productions, is inching closer to launch. Its first closed beta starts today and runs through March 19th.
Does the world need another first-person, team-based shooter?
"I'm not the only asshole who had this idea a few years ago," Cliff Bleszinski says in between sips of a sugar-free Red Bull. He's perched in the lounge area of his studio's E3 meeting space, on the other side of a thin wall where a dozen journalists and internet influencers are playing his latest game, a team-based shooter called LawBreakers. Every now and then, the players beyond the wall suddenly wail and clap as a game comes to a dramatic close. Bleszinski is talking about the market for online, first-person, team-based shooters -- a niche genre that, in mid 2016, is on the verge of oversaturation. Overwatch just came out, and it's been a monstrous hit for Activision Blizzard. It dominates the front page of Twitch, and there are already plans to transform it into a truly competitive, esports-focused title. Other similar games, such as Gearbox's Battleborn or Epic Games' Paragon, are also on the market, but they can't compare in terms of player numbers or hype.
'Gears of War' creator's 'LawBreakers' is a timed Steam exclusive
It turns out Cliff "CliffyB" Bleszinski hasn't abandoned PC gamers after years of making Gears of War games for the Xbox 360. His new shooter LawBreakers will be a Steam exclusive "at launch." What's more, the game where humanity destroyed The Moon isn't free-to-play any longer -- but it won't cost $60, either. Why the change of heart? "As the game continued to take shape, we realized free-to-play wasn't the right fit for what we're building," Bleszinski says in a canned press release quote.
'Gears of War' creator was asked to work on 'Silent Hills'
The legend of Silent Hills continues. The cancelled survival horror game, spearheaded by Hideo Kojima and film director Guillermo del Toro, could have had Cliff Bleszinski on its all-star development team. The game creator, best known for his work on the Gears of War franchise, revealed on Twitter that Kojima once approached him about working on "a new Silent Hill" in Los Angeles. "I was flattered but declined," he added.
Here's our first look at Cliff Bleszinski's 'LawBreakers' in action
We've already been introduced to the world of Lawbreakers, the next shooter from the Gears of War creator Cliff Bleszinski, but now we've got our first look at some actual gameplay. And while the science behind the game's setting may be suspect (it's a fantastical take on Earth after we've blown up the moon), the game's mechanics seem solid. It's a class-based multiplayer shooter, similar to Titanfall and Team Fortress, that will also be free-to-play on a variety of platforms (we still don't have specifics). The trailer introduces some of those classes (and their respective characters): there's the swift Assassin Kitsune, who can double-jump; Breacher, a gunner who has the unique ability to shoot behind him; and a jetpack-wielding Skirmisher named Maverick. One character, a Titan named Cronos, can also rocket-jump, bringing back fond memories of Bleszinski's work on Unreal Tournament. Judging from this trailer, Lawbreakers looks like plenty of other shooters, but its unique take on character classes and Bleszinski's pedigree make it one to keep an eye on.
The shaky science of shattering the moon in 'LawBreakers'
LawBreakers is the new, free shooter from Gears of War creator Cliff Bleszinski and it features a bold premise: Humans accidentally explode the moon, which leads to catastrophic earthquakes that nearly split the world in two. Plus, the event leaves pockets of low gravity scattered across the Earth -- including in the Grand Canyon, which ends up surrounded by giant, floating rocks. It's a wild idea that, at first glance, appears to be heavier on fiction than science. So, we asked Dr. Phil Plait, a popular astronomer and science writer known as Bad Astronomer, what would happen to the Earth if humans accidentally shattered the moon. Plait responded via email with the following intro: "I watched the trailer. Yeah, nope."
New game from 'Gears of War' creator breaks the moon
LawBreakers is not a post-apocalyptic shooter. It is a shooter. It does star a group of Marine-like soldiers out to gun down people in the name of justice and it does take place in the future. But creator Cliff Bleszinski is adamant that this isn't a standard futuristic, kill-streak kind of game. As the mastermind behind Gears of War and Unreal Tournament, he knows all about those. Instead, LawBreakers takes place in a post-catastrophe world: Human experiments on the moon cause it to shatter, which triggers devastating earthquakes and breaks gravity in certain spots. Humanity rebuilds, bigger and better than ever, and then violent gangs begin to attack the new world. The LawBreakers are deployed to fight the gangs, using super-human supplements and special maneuvers made possible by the low-gravity zones.
The Daily Roundup for 05.09.2013
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
The Engadget Interview: Cliff Bleszinski on next-gen gaming, Oculus Rift and the always-on console
What's life been like for the outspoken Gears of War designer and former design director of Epic Games since his departure last fall? Well, a lot of taking it easy. Cliff Bleszinski (or CliffyB to many) may not be manning the design reins of an upcoming game, but he's still quite active -- especially in chatting up the blooming dev community around Raleigh, N.C. We caught up with Cliff after his keynote at the recent East Coast Games Conference to talk next-gen, annualized game franchises and anything else we could think of. Join us on the other side of the break for the full discussion and some unabashed love for the Tarheel State.
Cliff Bleszinski quits Epic Games, leaves us with an Unreal feeling
Fall must be the season for sea changes in the game industry. Just weeks after BioWare's founders retired, key Epic Games veteran and Design Director Cliff Bleszinski (known to many as just CliffyB) is hanging up his hat. He simply describes it as taking a "much needed break," which makes sense when you see his development experience: he joined Epic's crew with Dare to Dream Volume One in 1993 and has nurtured virtually every major (and often minor) game franchise at the company since, including the Jazz Jackrabbit platformers, untold numbers of games in the Unreal line and most recently the Gears of War series. Bleszinski hasn't said where he's headed next, although it's hard to imagine him switching professions like the two BioWare doctors -- for many, he's synonymous with certain eras of first- and third-person shooters. Wherever he goes, we wish him the best of success.
Post-release GoW interview with the Bleszinski bros.
If you're like us, you can never get too much Gears of War coverage or too many Cliffy B interviews. The other day Gearheads of War founder Tyler Bleszinski interviewed his brother Cliff after their recent Friday Night FragFest. Tyler asks some of the typical questions about the Gears universe and the game's success, but gets other information from Cliffy we haven't heard before. Cliffy discusses the cliche sci-fi storyline, delves into what his favorite maps and weapons are (Fuel Depot and the torque bow), but still refuses to confirm a sequel or a time frame for when new content will be released. He's kind of like a clam that just won't open even though we know he's holding a pretty pearl inside. Just crack already! Overall, it's a darn good interview with dashes of brotherly love sprinkled throughout ... check it out.
CliffyB talks Gears afterthoughts, new DLC
IGN has posted an extensive 8 page interview with the ever boastful Cliff Bleszinski. In the interview CliffyB discusses the success of Gears of War and take time to discuss the future of the game and potential sequels. Of particular interest is his discussion of forthcoming downloadable content. While no specific content or date is announced, CliffyB assures us that something is coming and that we should get some news about it soon. He notes that the possibilities for such content are very broad -- new maps, new multiplayer modes, improved matchmaking, etc -- but declines to give any specific details. Furthermore, Cliffy discusses the possibilities of expanding the GOW franchise into other media, from movies to graphic novels to lunch boxes.Cliffy also takes time to defend the story of Gears of War, essentially saying that Epic never intended to have gamers "beaten over the head with story," preferring to think of GOW as a big budget, summer action flick. Primarily, Cliffy leaves us with the knowledge that Epic plans to support GOW for a long time to come (presumably until a sequel arrives). Hit the "read" link for the full interview.
Cliffy B recognized for 2006 contributions
It's that time of year when Game Daily's yearly Game Industry Persons of the Year awards are being announced and look who came in at number four. Gears of War lead designer Cliff Bleszinski (Cliffy B) has been honored with the title of number four person of the year. Not only has Cliffy B created the Xbox 360's killer app, launched a new major IP, and proved he can drink anyone under the table, but he has pushed the shooter genre in a whole new direction. We salute you Cliff as you are one rocking dude, but we're still patiently waiting on our Gears patch.[Via Digg]
Interview: Tyler Bleszinski's GearHeads
Ever wonder what it would be like to be Cliff Bleszinski's brother? Do you find yourself caught up in all the Gears of War excitement and want to know where all the cool Gears fans hangout online? Well, Tyler Bleszinski is that guy who carries the label of "Cliffy B's brother" and he's on a mission to create the best Gears of War community online. Tyler has broken out from being the other brother and created one of the best Gears of War community sites on the net, GearHeads of War. I sit down for a friendly conversation about the launch of Gears of War, what special treatment he receives for being Cliffy's brother, why he created his fansite and where it's community is headed. You're formally invited to an interview with the brainchild of GearHeads of War, Tyler Bleszinski ...
Gears of War hits the big screen
Fear not, Uwe Boll and Paul W. Anderson are not teaming up to deliver a Gears of War 'epic.' Instead, Gears of Wars (the video game) will be appearing in theatres nationwide in the form of a trailer, aired before select R-rated flicks, including Clerks 2, Little Miss Sunshine, Miami Vice, Pulse, and A Scanner Darkly.Epic president Mike Capps did warn that, for most gamers, the footage would be nothing new, but the promotion is a chance to "see it on a massive theater screen and hear it in badass 5.1." In other words, fanboys, we recommend you don't splurge on a movie ticket just to see this trailer.
Gears of War + Church = Good Design
CliffyB, the lovable Mario master behind Gears of War, recently sat down with Xbox.com to discuss (what else?) Gears of War. The topics covered include the characters, enemies, weapon design, and co-op among other things. On the possibility of a feature film: "The only way we'd ever consider doing a film of our property would be if the absolute right people were attached who understood not only the game and its universe but also the (hopefully!) rabid fanbase that we'd like to acquire." Also of particular interest is the dev team's inspiration for the game's locales: "I kept pushing for beautiful environments; you can have a post-apocalyptic world but why does it always have to be boring industrial buildings and concrete bunkers? One of the most inspiring moments that really secured the idea of this European influence on the architecture happened one day at Saint Paul's Cathedral in London." See the cathedral after the break. Just try and tell me it doesn't make you want to kill the locust horde.
