Gears of War's Cliffy B gives up on returning to the series: "If they were smart, they'd enlist me"
"It's time to move on"
Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more
You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
Want to add more newsletters?
Every Friday
GamesRadar+
Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them.
Every Thursday
GTA 6 O'clock
Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts.
Every Friday
Knowledge
From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon.
Every Thursday
The Setup
Hardware nerds unite, sign up to our free tech newsletter for a weekly digest of the hottest new tech, the latest gadgets on the test bench, and much more.
Every Wednesday
Switch 2 Spotlight
Sign up to our new Switch 2 newsletter, where we bring you the latest talking points on Nintendo's new console each week, bring you up to date on the news, and recommend what games to play.
Every Saturday
The Watchlist
Subscribe for a weekly digest of the movie and TV news that matters, direct to your inbox. From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we've got you covered.
Once a month
SFX
Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month!
Cliff Bleszinski (sometimes known as Cliffy B) has mentioned on multiple occasions that he was interested in returning to the Gears of War series, but after publically gunning for a consulting gig, he now says that "it's time to move on."
Bleszinski was previously the lead designer on the original Gears of War trilogy before founding the now-defunct studio Boss Key Productions and spearheading the gravity-defying arena shooter Lawbreakers. On social media and in various interviews over the last few months, Bleszinski has vocally expressed interest in returning to the storied franchise. Speaking to Comic Book, the designer pitched a soft reboot for the shooter series before saying "Phil Spencer has my number."
Blezinski has now released a statement about the situation on social media. "We've been over this a million times," he begins. "I'm down to consult. Give my two cents. I understand that Gears will always be an enormous part of my legacy. I appreciate and respect that. That said, [publisher Microsoft and developer Coalition] haven't hit me up. OK. It is what it is."
A statement. pic.twitter.com/Hvpq9IsQW2January 27, 2024
The ex-developer then says that if the two companies were "smart," they would "enlist" him for input because "just from a PR standpoint alone it would be gold." He leaves the note on a slightly more optimistic note, explaining that he's since moved on from the series and toward broadway, memoirs, and a comic book series called Scrapper.
"As much as I appreciate your support and those who know me from my Gears work (I did a lot more than that game series, for the record) it’s time to move on," he says.
The bloody third-person shooter-chainsaw series hasn’t enjoyed a new entry since 2019's Gears 5 and its excellent Hivebusters expansion a year later. Though, fans of hunky army soldiers and scaly underground monsters can look forward to the upcoming live-action film and animated series currently in development at Netflix.
See everything in development at Xbox Game Studios with our handy guide.
Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more
Kaan freelances for various websites including Rock Paper Shotgun, Eurogamer, and this one, Gamesradar. He particularly enjoys writing about spooky indies, throwback RPGs, and anything that's vaguely silly. Also has an English Literature and Film Studies degree that he'll soon forget.


