Cliff Bleszinski plans to start new studio

Cliff Bleszinski says it's not a matter of if he'll start a new studio, but rather "of when and with who." The former Epic Games design director spoke with G4's X-Play about the impact he wants to have in his post-Gears career.

"I don't just want the whole chainsaw gun to be my legacy," Bleszinski said. While he's flattered that the infamous Lancer commonly appears on best-guns-of-gaming lists (it sure made ours), he said he hopes something fresh and new will keep gamers from seeing him as a one-trick pony.

Blezsinski left Epic in October after 20 years with the company, and he remains one of the industry's most well-known game developers. He said that clout will help him in assembling a new studio, but you have to take care when "you have a certain amount of cult of personality. You can use it and leverage it to some extent, but you have to be careful not to believe your own crap."

The developer recently made a world tour of heavyweight publishers, including Electronic Arts and Ubisoft, though he's not at liberty to reveal any leads that may have arisen.