Adrian has been writing, critiquing, and thinking about games since he first picked up an N64 controller many years ago. These days he writes reviews, news, and features for Game Rant and believes games should be held to the same artistic standards as books, movies, and television shows. When he’s not writing for Game Rant, Adrian writes even more reviews for Sirus Gaming and likes to get nerdy about tech and retro games at HackerNoon. Outside the gaming world, he spends plenty of time enjoying movies or listening to every genre of music under the sun. Follow him on Twitter for nonsense tweets likely related to Dragon Ball Z, or check out Breadhouse Records for some tunes.
Former Gears of War designer Cliff Bleszinski is exploring a return to the video game industry after rediscovering his desire to create characters, worlds, and gameplay experiences. Bleszinski, commonly known as “CliffyB,” is best known for his two decades at Epic Games, where he served as lead designer of the original Gears of War trilogy.
Gears of War Veteran Cliff Bleszinski Eyes a Return to Game Development
In an extensive interview with 80 Level, Cliff Bleszinski revealed that he has started to feel creatively inspired by video games again while recovering from a tough struggle with alcohol addiction, potentially leading to a full return. After experiencing an alcohol-related seizure in March 2026 that resulted in his hospitalization, Bleszinski says he stopped drinking, entered outpatient treatment, and started therapy to focus on his health and recovery. The former Gears of War lead states that sobriety helped restore his creative motivation, explaining, “I want to create characters and worlds.” While Bleszinski has not yet announced a full new game or studio, he has taken his first steps back into development by consulting on the upcoming 3v1 asymmetrical multiplayer horror project, Soul Walker.
“It’s been a journey… I don’t want to be that person where my defining aspect is my alcoholism. I want to be that well-known, hopefully loved, successful game designer who is a great husband who also happens to be an alcoholic.” – Cliff Bleszinski (Level 80)
