"LawBreakers tripped so Concord could faceplant": Gears of War designer Cliff Bleszinski looks back on his career so far and struggle with alcoholism - Rock Paper Shotgun

What the report says

Rock Paper Shotgun reports that former Gears of War and Unreal Tournament designer Cliff Bleszinski has spoken publicly about alcohol addiction, its effect on his game development career, and the possibility of returning to the industry. The account is based on Bleszinski’s interview with Brian Crecente for 80 Level. According to the report, Bleszinski said he is four months sober after experiencing a drinking-related seizure in March.

Bleszinski traced his drinking problems back to his years working on Unreal Tournament in the early 2000s and described being a functioning alcoholic during the development of the Gears of War trilogy before the situation worsened. He also discussed the role of games industry social events, including conferences, parties and business dinners, while emphasizing his own responsibility for his addiction.

The article also revisits the failure of LawBreakers, the multiplayer shooter developed by Boss Key Productions, the studio Bleszinski co-founded with Arjan Brussee. Bleszinski reportedly keeps a written list of decisions he now thinks contributed to the project’s collapse, including not bringing in fellow Gears veteran Rod Fergusson as a co-founder. He described the studio’s shutdown as one of the hardest moments of his life, and Rock Paper Shotgun notes that Boss Key’s closure left him struggling to find purpose.

Bleszinski is now considering a full-time return to game development, though he said he does not expect to make another player-versus-player title. He expressed more interest in cooperative player-versus-environment design, citing the importance of Horde mode to Gears of War 2. The story matters because it links a prominent developer’s personal recovery with a candid reassessment of major successes and failures in modern shooter development.