“I paid my employees, their 401ks, and their health care - even months after the studio folded. So they could care for their families. I didn’t take a salary myself for two years. I get you’re sad, but god, this kinda shit is another reason I am NEVER making another game.”
When asked by GamesIndustry.biz how seriously people should take his tweeted reply to a likely troll account, Bleszinski responded simply, “I’m done.”
Can’t say I blame him.
Makes no diff to me. Don’t think I’ve played anything he made in the last 20 years.
Homeboy worked on Lawbreakers for four years of his life, and apparently funded quite a lot of it out of his pocket. Like Broobin said, I don’t blame him.
After working on something insanely successful like Gears of War, you can start to believe your own hype. But lightning doesn’t often strike twice.
Thing is with Lawbreakers he was making a game for a market that doesn’t really exist anymore.
Ah, he’s still fairly young. He’ll start to miss it. I bet he’ll be back.
Hey Cliff, we’ll always have UT '99.
May the road rise to meet you, and all that jazz.
Not at all, problem is Overwatch owns that market. It isn’t easy, toppling the king, and when it happens it’s a seismic shift. Like WoW knocking over Everquest, or Fortnite gutting PUBG.
Which is still best-in-class if you ask me.
Hell yeah.
“Name one thing humanity’s done that’s better!”
“The Renaissance.”
“This is better.”
Doesn’t “renaissance” imply a resurgence of something that is older?
Is he rich enough to retire then? I thought he was a game designer rather than a programmer? Pure game design is a pretty narrow skill, not sure it applies to other fields?
I’m pretty sure he got into something big as an early investor and made bank. Paypal maybe or Occulus VR.
He was rich before that. Remember, he was part of Epic when it was like six people.
It’s a little “Simpsons” exchange between Homer and Lisa. Homer thinks ‘Police Cops’ is better than the Renaissance.
Renaissance literally means ‘rebirth’ and in its historical context means the rebirth of classical civilization in post-Medieval Europe, but you probably already knew all that.
He has a bar/restaurant that he owns. The Station in Raleigh NC.
He’s rich, but he wasn’t “F U” rich. Many millions of dollars, but not approaching 100 million. Driving Lambos, but not owning megayachts and private jets. Financing a AAA game for a couple years can eat up a lot of money.
I imagine he doesn’t have to work for a living, though, even so. You can live really well on just a couple million.
Well if he has that kind of money and doesnt need to work again, then salut don Bleszinski, salut.
He didn’t finance that game. Nexon did.
Cliffyb is quoted in the OP as taking on payroll and various costs for an extended period of time.