Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com Joystiq http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://www.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2013 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Bleszinski left Epic for 'a fresh start,' considering new IP]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/12/14/bleszinski-left-epic-for-a-fresh-start-considering-new-ip/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/12/14/bleszinski-left-epic-for-a-fresh-start-considering-new-ip/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/12/14/bleszinski-left-epic-for-a-fresh-start-considering-new-ip/#comments "I don't really want just the whole chainsaw gun to be my legacy." Former Epic employee Cliff Bleszinski's opening line during G4's X-Play program is the gist of why he left Epic Games, a company he started working for when he was 17.

"It's time for a fresh start. I'll start a new studio maybe at some point. It's not a matter of if, it's a matter of when and with who," Blezsinski says. Though he sounds anxious to get back to making video games, Bleszinski doesn't seem to have any immediate plans. "Moving forward I would hope to work on something new and fresh and kinda redefine my legacy."

It should come as no surprise that Bleszinski is working on something - famous game designer has idea for video game. When asked who his favorite Transformers character is, Bleszinski says Bluestreak, but notes later his name was changed to Silverstreak, "which is the codename of a new IP I'm gestating on slowly."

JoystiqBleszinski left Epic for 'a fresh start,' considering new IP originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 14 Dec 2012 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>cliff-bleszinskicodename-silverstreakepic-gamesmicrosoftsilver-streaksilverstreakxboxFri, 14 Dec 2012 12:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Cliff Bleszinski leaves Epic Games]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/10/03/cliff-bleszinski-leaves-epic-games/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/10/03/cliff-bleszinski-leaves-epic-games/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/10/03/cliff-bleszinski-leaves-epic-games/#comments Cliff Bleszinski leaves Epic GamesCliff Bleszinski is leaving Epic Games, a company he has been working with for 20 years. Most recently, he held the title of Design Director.

"I've been doing this since I was a teenager, and outside of my sabbatical last year, I have been going non-stop," Bleszinski said in a letter to colleagues, a selection of which Epic posted on its website. "I literally grew up in this business, as Mike [Capps] likes to say. And now that I'm grown up, it's time for a much needed break."

Neither Bleszinski nor Epic said what the next step would be; Epic refers only to his plan "to chart the next stage of his career." While at Epic, Bleszinski designed games ranging from the Jazz Jackrabbit series, to Unreal, to Gears of War.

"In 20 wonderful years with Epic, Cliff Bleszinski has grown into a true design luminary, and his contributions to the 'Unreal' and 'Gears' series have helped shape the game industry into what it is today," said Epic technical director Tim Sweeney. "Cliff leaves Epic with our gratitude for his many contributions, and our wishes for continued success in the next chapter of his life!"

Note: An original version of this story incorrectly stated that Bleszinski was a co-founder of Epic Games. This error has been edited and we apologize for the confusion.

JoystiqCliff Bleszinski leaves Epic Games originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 03 Oct 2012 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>cliff-bleszinskiepic-gamesmicrosoftmobilepcxboxWed, 03 Oct 2012 17:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Fortnite getting a closed beta 'early next year']]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/08/31/fortnite-getting-a-closed-beta-early-next-year/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/08/31/fortnite-getting-a-closed-beta-early-next-year/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/08/31/fortnite-getting-a-closed-beta-early-next-year/#comments As a special prize for one lucky attendee of tonight PAX Prime 2012 Fortnite panel - a reprise of the Fortnite panel we saw at San Diego Comic Con earlier this year - Epic Games gave out a golden ticket that provides early beta entrance to next year's Unreal Engine 4 PC game. So ... wait, does that mean there's gonna be an open beta for Fortnite?

"TBD," Epic design director Cliff Bleszinski told us immediately following the panel. "There will definitely be a closed beta," producer Tanya Jessing added, but she also refused to confirm whether an open beta is also in the cards. But hey, that one lady who won the ticket? She's totally in.

JoystiqFortnite getting a closed beta 'early next year' originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 31 Aug 2012 23:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>cliff-bleszinskiepicepic-gamesfortnitepaxpax-2012pax-primepax-prime-2012pctanya-jessingFri, 31 Aug 2012 23:30:00 EST<![CDATA['Critical Path' trailer is loaded with games industry talent]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/07/22/critical-path-trailer-is-loaded-with-games-industry-talent/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/07/22/critical-path-trailer-is-loaded-with-games-industry-talent/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/07/22/critical-path-trailer-is-loaded-with-games-industry-talent/#comments 'Critical Path' trailer appears, loaded with industry talentA trailer for Critical Path, a "transmedia project exploring the art, philosophy, politics and psychology of video games" recently surfaced. The trailer, created by a Los Angeles-based studio named Artifact, shows dozens of game designers talking about their craft and the place games take in the history of expressive media. The project aims to "give game designers their due as innovators and influencers of culture."

Critical Path is described as the culmination of "two years of filming and archiving" interviews, according to Artifact's site. "User feedback will influence future interviews, which will be added to the archive on an ongoing basis."

Among the 37 names listed at the end of the trailer are Warren Spector, Jenova Chen, John Carmack, David Cage, Cliff Bleszinski, Ken Levine, Peter Molyneux, Tim Schafer and Hideo Kojima. You can watch the trailer here.

Joystiq'Critical Path' trailer is loaded with games industry talent originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 22 Jul 2012 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>artifactartifact-studioscliff-bleszinskicritical-pathdavid-cagehideo-kojimajenova-chenJohn-CarmackKen-LevinePeter-MolyneuxTim-Schafertrailerwarren-spectorSun, 22 Jul 2012 16:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Epic shares Gears of War insight and trivia at Comic-Con panel]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/07/17/epic-shares-gears-of-war-insight-and-trivia-at-comic-con-panel/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/07/17/epic-shares-gears-of-war-insight-and-trivia-at-comic-con-panel/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/07/17/epic-shares-gears-of-war-insight-and-trivia-at-comic-con-panel/#comments Epic shares Gears insight and trivia at ComicCon panelCliff Bleszinski, Design Director at Epic Games, along with Production Director Rod Fergusson, voice actor Fred Tatasciore (the voice of Baird as well as "most of the Locusts") and writers Rob Auten and Tom Bissell all took the stage at Comic-Con 2012 for a panel about Gears of War: Judgment. The biggest piece of news out of the panel was that Judgment has a release date: We'll be killing grubs as Baird in the prequel on March 19.

The rest of the panel, however, contained a few juicy bits of Gears trivia, just for fans of the series. If you've lived and died with the COGs for three games now, read on.

Continue reading Epic shares Gears of War insight and trivia at Comic-Con panel

JoystiqEpic shares Gears of War insight and trivia at Comic-Con panel originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 17 Jul 2012 03:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bairdcliff-bleszinskicomic-con-2012epic-gamesfred-tatascioregearsgears-of-wargears-of-war-judgmentjudgementlancermicrosoftpanelrod-fergussonsdcc-2012xboxTue, 17 Jul 2012 03:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Bleszinski: Fortnite on PC 'primary and first,' other platforms not ruled out]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/07/12/bleszinski-fortnite-on-pc-primary-and-first-other-platforms/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/07/12/bleszinski-fortnite-on-pc-primary-and-first-other-platforms/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/07/12/bleszinski-fortnite-on-pc-primary-and-first-other-platforms/#comments Bleszinski Fortnite on PC 'primary and first,' but 'other platforms' not ruled outHaving announced Fortnite as Epic Games' first Unreal Engine 4 game, "exclusively for the PC," Epic Games design director Cliff Bleszinski took to Twitter this afternoon to make some breathing room. "We wouldn't rule out the possibility of other platforms later," he wrote. That is, while Fortnite will be "primary and first" on PC, it may not be exclusive to the platform forever.

Given that Fortnite is built using UE4, it stands to reason that those "other platforms" won't be of the current generation (none of Microsoft's, Sony's, or Nintendo's current hardware can run UE4-based games). What might they be, then? We'll have to wait until the next console generation to find out, it sounds like.

Gallery: Fortnite (San Diego Comic Con 2012)

JoystiqBleszinski: Fortnite on PC 'primary and first,' other platforms not ruled out originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 12 Jul 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>cliff-bleszinskiepicepic-gamesfortnitepcsan-diego-comic-consan-diego-comic-con-2012sdcc-2012unreal-engineunreal-engine-4Thu, 12 Jul 2012 16:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Epic's Fortnite is a 'fresh and bubbly' co-op survival sandbox game]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/07/12/epics-fortnite-is-a-fresh-and-bubbly-co-op-survival-sandbox-g/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/07/12/epics-fortnite-is-a-fresh-and-bubbly-co-op-survival-sandbox-g/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/07/12/epics-fortnite-is-a-fresh-and-bubbly-co-op-survival-sandbox-g/#comments Epic Games kicked off our experience at Comic-Con this year with a panel about Fortnite, the oft-mentioned but not yet seen game that serves as the studio's followup to Gears of War. Producer Tanya Jessen, Lead Artist Pete Ellis, and Design Director Cliff Bleszinski talked at length about the game, revealing it to be a mashup of Minecraft, The Walking Dead and Team Fortress 2. It's designed and built in Unreal Engine 4, and destined for a PC-only launch.

Jessen described Fortnite as a "co-op sandbox survival game" with three different elements. Scavenging will allow players to go out into the ruined world and find items and materials wherever they can. Building will let players first erect and then customize various structures of all shapes and sizes. Combat, the last part of the game, pits players against creepy yet "Looney Tunes-inspired" monsters attempting to take those structures down.

"This is not just a game for people who like shooters or RPGS," said Jessen. "It's a game for everybody." And according to Bleszinski, Fortnite is a big change internally from what the studio has been working on more recently. "It's been really fresh for us," he said. "We've had like six years of Gears and we've perfected the art of killing. Fortnite is serving as a fresh change of pace for us."

Gallery: Fortnite (San Diego Comic Con 2012)

Continue reading Epic's Fortnite is a 'fresh and bubbly' co-op survival sandbox game

JoystiqEpic's Fortnite is a 'fresh and bubbly' co-op survival sandbox game originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 12 Jul 2012 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>cliff-bleszinskico-opcomic-conepic-gamesfortnitepcsandboxsdccsdcc-2012survivaltanya-jessenThu, 12 Jul 2012 15:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Fortnite is Epic's first Unreal Engine 4 game, heading exclusively to PC]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/07/12/fortnite-is-epics-first-unreal-engine-4-game-heading-exclusive/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/07/12/fortnite-is-epics-first-unreal-engine-4-game-heading-exclusive/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/07/12/fortnite-is-epics-first-unreal-engine-4-game-heading-exclusive/#comments Fortnite is Epic's first Unreal Engine 4 game, heading exclusively to PCFortnite is Epic's first Unreal Engine 4 game and it'll ship "exclusively for the PC," Epic Games' Cliff Bleszinksi said today during a San Diego Comic-Con 2012 panel. "We're here and we're announcing that this is a PC-designed game, it's shipping exclusively for the PC," he told a crowd of attendees.

"Next-gen's here. It's been here. It's a high-end PC," Bleszinski said. He added that the dudebro-free Fortnite didn't "make sense" for Unreal Engine 3, and cheered PCs as being part of Epic's "heritage."

Fortnite, which sees characters building bunkers and emplacements to defend against the monsters of the night, was suspected of being a PC exclusive earlier this year when it popped up on a LinkedIn listing for PC. The listing was quickly changed after we brought it to the attention of Epic Games.

We'll have more from Epic's SDCC panel as soon as we can (it's still going on!).

JoystiqFortnite is Epic's first Unreal Engine 4 game, heading exclusively to PC originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 12 Jul 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>cliff-bleszinskiepicepic-gamesfortnitepcsan-diego-comic-consan-diego-comic-con-2012sdcc-2012tanya-jessenunreal-engineunreal-engine-4Thu, 12 Jul 2012 14:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The testimony of Damon Baird in Gears of War: Judgment]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/06/13/the-testimony-of-damon-baird-in-gears-of-war-judgment/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/06/13/the-testimony-of-damon-baird-in-gears-of-war-judgment/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/06/13/the-testimony-of-damon-baird-in-gears-of-war-judgment/#comments The testimony of Damon Baird in Gears of War JudgmentMemory is a fickle thing. You may think one thing, but the reality of the situation in question could be entirely different. Was that thing there? What even was that thing?

In Gears of War Judgment, Lt. Damon Baird is on trial for disobeying COG orders - being a military outfit, they're kind of big on following orders - and must recall the events that lead up to the disobedience in question. His recounting of the events while on trial is the entire campaign, but this being a military trial, certain things are classified. It's an idea that will play out in the campaign: the first time through, certain elements from the game environment will be missing; a second playthrough of the "Declassified" campaign will change events and those in-game elements.

Gallery: Gears of War: Judgment (E3 2012)

Continue reading The testimony of Damon Baird in Gears of War: Judgment

JoystiqThe testimony of Damon Baird in Gears of War: Judgment originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 13 Jun 2012 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>cliff-bleszinskidamon-bairde3-2012epic-gamesgears-of-war-judgmentkilo-squadmicrosoftmicrosoft-studiospeople-can-flyxboxWed, 13 Jun 2012 18:30:00 EST<![CDATA['You're going to die a fair amount:' Bleszinski on Gears of War: Judgment's S3 system]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/06/08/youre-going-to-die-a-fair-amount-bleszinski-on-gears-of-war/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/06/08/youre-going-to-die-a-fair-amount-bleszinski-on-gears-of-war/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/06/08/youre-going-to-die-a-fair-amount-bleszinski-on-gears-of-war/#comments Gone are the static spawn wells seen in Gears of War entries in the past. With Gears of War: Judgment, People Can Fly and Epic Games will introduce something they're labeling as S3 - a smart spawn system.

"Previously in Gears, if you wanted a greater challenge, you went for the higher difficulty mode. It basically meant less health for you and more health for them. It worked perfectly fine, but we tried to attack this from a different angle," People Can Fly's Adrian Chmielarz explained to Joystiq. "S3 constantly monitors your performance, from simple stuff like accuracy and your skills, but also like your location in the combat zone." Chmielarz provided an example of a player in one corner, shooting Locust, then having the system adapt on the fly and spawn enemies at more challenging locations.

"The other thing it can do is run multiple scenarios: you play through a section of the game, from checkpoint-to-checkpoint, and you die at the very end of it. So then you think to yourself, 'Okay, I know how to fix that; I got this.' You replay and suddenly it's a completely new scenario - new enemies and you have to adapt one more time. Another example would be you choose a higher difficulty level to replay a section and then you encounter an enemy type that you have not encountered before. We kept it in reserves for a higher difficulty level. The big point about S3 is to make sure that you are challenged. We think that the word kind of disappeared from the vocabulary a little and games now actually paint the path for you on the floor, where to go next."

Cliff Bleszinski then interjected, "I think that's why you're starting to see this love for games kind of like Dark Souls now. In order to try and grow the audience, games have been softened - players can't get lost ever, or they can't die ever. But then it's like you've just lost the point of the game and what games do, having that challenge. We're a little guilty of it - I'm fully willing to admit that. When was the last time a game has asked something of you? I've been playing Gears since the beginning, obviously, but when I go into the playtest lab and we play 4-player hardcore co-op [in Gears of War: Judgment], it takes us a good three or four tries to get through a combat scenario. I play a lot of games where I just get into the flow of combat and it's getting good then, boom, cutscene. I'm like, 'Fuck you, get back to the gameplay.' In this game, the pacing has gotten to the point where when you get past a protracted battle, and you finally get a cutscene, yeah you're happy to see the story progress but you're really just happy to have a break. You're going to die, you're going to die a fair amount, but hopefully you like it," he said.

"It's definitely going to be harder than Gears of War 3," Bleszinski added. "The thing about Gears 3 that I learned kind of in hindsight is the fact that technically it was the longest campaign that we've ever done, but we accidentally softened the difficulty a little too much. So the good gamers got through it in a similar timeframe to Gears 2, and were like 'No way it's the same length!' So we looked at the difficulty and there are certain little trade-offs that they made where, like, do you go DBNO or just die? Things like that, and also the same thing with enemy damage models. Gears of War: Judgment is going to be tough, even on normal difficulty level." Chmielarz then added that he thinks "normal is going to be more difficult than ever before."

Gallery: Gears of War: Judgment (E3 2012)

Joystiq'You're going to die a fair amount:' Bleszinski on Gears of War: Judgment's S3 system originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 08 Jun 2012 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>adrian-chmielarzcliff-bleszinskie3-2012epic-gamesgears-of-war-judgmentmicrosoftpeople-can-flys3smart-spawn-systemxboxFri, 08 Jun 2012 14:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Bleszinski explains why Gears of War: Judgment isn't about E-Day or the Pendulum Wars]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/06/07/bleszinski-gears-of-war-judgment-e-day-pendulum-wars/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/06/07/bleszinski-gears-of-war-judgment-e-day-pendulum-wars/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/06/07/bleszinski-gears-of-war-judgment-e-day-pendulum-wars/#comments Bleszinski explains why Gears of War Judgment isn't about EDay or the Pendulum WarsGears of War: Judgment is a prequel, and takes place a few months after Emergence Day when the Locust first popped their heads up from underground and began their assault on the human population of Sera.

But fans have wondered why Epic didn't aim to highlight a different part of the timeline in the Gears of War universe - like E-Day or the Pendulum Wars, the great 79-year-long war that raged across Sera. The COG (Coalition of Ordered Governments) won the Pendulum Wars, and became the global government of Sera.

Both sound like good settings for a video game, right? Sure, but according to Epic Games design director Cliff Bleszinski, neither would've made for the right game - the latter wouldn't have even been a Gears of War game.

"The time came, we finished Gears 3 and obviously it's done well for us, and a prequel seemed like the next logical step. So we started looking at the timeframes and what we could do. I looked at E-Day and was like, 'Yeah, there's no chainsaw on E-Day.' It took the COG a little bit to figure out that the Locust have thick skin and their bayonets are breaking, things like that." Being able to chainsaw scary monster men is essential to anything donning the Gears of War title, you see.

As for the Pendulum Wars, its human-on-human conflict would technically make for a game that isn't Gears of War. "Now you have no chainsaw and now you have no monsters," Bleszinski said. "And now we're not Gears of War anymore. So we looked at the timeframe, looked at the timeline, and figured that there's a window there of several months after Emergence Day, where humanity got hit and quickly got their shit back together and figured out, hey, put a chainsaw on the end of the gun - that'll help. So that's the timeframe for the game."

Gears of War: Judgment launches on the Xbox 360 in early 2013.

Gallery: Gears of War: Judgment (E3 2012)

JoystiqBleszinski explains why Gears of War: Judgment isn't about E-Day or the Pendulum Wars originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 07 Jun 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>cliff-bleszinskie3-2012epicepic-gamesgears-of-war-judgmentmicrosoftmicrosoft-studiospeople-can-flyxboxThu, 07 Jun 2012 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Unreal Engine 4's GDC demo: exposed!]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/05/17/unreal-engine-4s-gdc-demo-exposed/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/05/17/unreal-engine-4s-gdc-demo-exposed/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/05/17/unreal-engine-4s-gdc-demo-exposed/#comments ImageJust around 30 lucky GDC attendees saw Epic Games' Unreal Engine 4 demo. And one such person was Wired's Stu Horvath, who describes the two minute demonstration as "breathtakingly photo-realistic" in an exclusive reveal. The demo apparently follows the demon knight seen above, as he wakes from a frozen sleep ... only to set everything on fire. That scamp!

The demo runs on Nvidia's Kepler GTX 680 - a graphics card often described as "next-gen" - and it follows the armored demon dude as he shows off his fancy, graphics-heavy castle. Just 14 Epic employees put together the demo, which apparently runs in real-time within the Unreal Engine 4 environment (a feat for modern game engines, including UE3). Don't be surprised if we see this demo show up in a future Epic game - the company's past demos for Unreal Engine lead to some of Epic's biggest games.

Lighting is also improved, according to the piece, with "dynamic lighting" within the engine rather than being individually implemented after the fact. "The number of man-years that required was astounding," Epic design director Cliff Bleszinski said. But with all the additions, Epic's new engine requires much more horsepower; horsepower for which Epic is pushing the likes of Microsoft and Sony. Whether Epic (and us gamers) will get that horsepower, however, remains to be seen.

JoystiqUnreal Engine 4's GDC demo: exposed! originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 17 May 2012 11:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>cliff-bleszinskiepicepic-gamespcunreal-engineunreal-engine-4Thu, 17 May 2012 11:15:00 EST<![CDATA[Bleszinski: On-disc DLC an unfortunate necessity]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/04/10/bleszinski-on-disc-dlc-an-unfortunate-necessity/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/04/10/bleszinski-on-disc-dlc-an-unfortunate-necessity/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/04/10/bleszinski-on-disc-dlc-an-unfortunate-necessity/#comments With the recent kerfuffle surrounding Street Fighter X Tekken's on-disc downloadable content, Epic's Cliff Bleszinski chimed in on the issue, calling it "an ugly truth of the gaming industry." Speaking to GameSpot, the well-known designer noted that prior to a game finally shipping, there are "often three or four months where the game is basically done," leaving developers with "an idle team that needs to be working on things."

For the sake of compatibility, some downloadable content may need to be located on the disc itself. "It's an ugly truth of the gaming industry," Bleszinski added, "I'm not the biggest fan of having to do it, but it is one of the unfortunate realities." Once the industry goes entirely digital, he said, the issue will be obsolete.

Capcom recently raised the ire of its fans when it was discovered that upcoming downloadable characters were already on the disc. The publisher stated that the content was included on the disc in order to ensure compatibility by offering a "single, unified version of the game." In a response to Better Business Bureau complaints, the company later stated its belief that there is "effectively no distinction" between bonus content included on a disc and downloaded content.

JoystiqBleszinski: On-disc DLC an unfortunate necessity originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 10 Apr 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>capcomcliff-bleszinskidlcmicrosofton-disc-dlcplaystationps3street-fighter-x-tekkenxboxTue, 10 Apr 2012 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Gears of War: Exile was once a thing, isn't a thing anymore]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/04/08/gears-of-war-exile-was-actually-once-a-thing-now-not-a-thing/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/04/08/gears-of-war-exile-was-actually-once-a-thing-now-not-a-thing/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/04/08/gears-of-war-exile-was-actually-once-a-thing-now-not-a-thing/#comments Way back in January 2011, a trademark for Gears of War: Exile surfaced on the US Patent and Trademark office website. Epic Games design director Cliff Bleszinski has revealed the studio was working on a project named that, but that it has since been canned.

"Let's just bury the hatchet now," he told Gamespot here at PAX East. "Gears of War: Exile was an unannounced game that I can't give any details about that has since been cancelled." Outside of the existence of the trademark, there really isn't any other information.

Some speculated Gears of War: Exile was to be a Kinect title and an on-rails experience, but without any further information from Epic it looks like we're left to speculate on what could've been.

JoystiqGears of War: Exile was once a thing, isn't a thing anymore originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 08 Apr 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>cliff-bleszinskigears-of-war-exilemicrosoftpax-east-2012xboxSun, 08 Apr 2012 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Mike Capps: Epic Games has a PC-exclusive game in the works]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/04/07/epic-games-has-a-pc-exclusive-in-the-works/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/04/07/epic-games-has-a-pc-exclusive-in-the-works/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/04/07/epic-games-has-a-pc-exclusive-in-the-works/#comments ImageGears of War and Fortnite dev Epic Games is getting back to its roots with a PC-exclusive project, creative lead Cliff Bleszinski and president Mike Capps announced today during a PAX East panel. "We might be working on a PC-only title," Capps teased, before Bleszinski picked up where he left off: "Let me say that again: we are working on a PC game."

The panel is still going on, but we'll be sure to chat to the Epic folks as soon as it's over.

Update: Epic Games prez Mike Capps told us after the panel that the unannounced PC project is currently underway, and that the current plans are to keep the game exclusive to the PC platform. Unsurprisingly, he wouldn't tell us anything else.

JoystiqMike Capps: Epic Games has a PC-exclusive game in the works originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 07 Apr 2012 13:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>cliff-bleszinskiclifford-bleszinskiepicepic-gamesmike-cappspax-eastpax-east-2012pcSat, 07 Apr 2012 13:50:00 EST<![CDATA[These games inspired Cliff Bleszinski, John Romero, Will Wright, and Sid Meier]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/09/these-games-inspired-cliff-bleszinski-john-romero-will-wright/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/09/these-games-inspired-cliff-bleszinski-john-romero-will-wright/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/09/these-games-inspired-cliff-bleszinski-john-romero-will-wright/#comments Everyone in the industry has a story about their formative experiences with video games, but Jon-Paul Dyson, the director of the International Center for the History of Electronic Games, was a bit more blunt than most.

"Great artists don't borrow. They steal," Dyson said, borrowing a quote from Pablo Picasso as he introduced Wil Wright, Sid Meier, John Romero, and Cliff Bleszinski. Speaking in front of a packed house at GDC, the four industry luminaries shared the games that inspired them as creators, and continue to influence them today.

Continue reading These games inspired Cliff Bleszinski, John Romero, Will Wright, and Sid Meier

JoystiqThese games inspired Cliff Bleszinski, John Romero, Will Wright, and Sid Meier originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 09 Mar 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>cliff-bleszinskigdcgdc-2012john-romeropac-manpinball-construction-setseven-cities-of-goldsid-meierthe-legend-of-zeldawill-wrightFri, 09 Mar 2012 16:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Cliff Bleszinski to host GDC Awards, Schatz returns for IGF Awards]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/01/17/cliff-bleszinski-to-host-gdc-awards-schatz-returns-for-igf-awar/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/01/17/cliff-bleszinski-to-host-gdc-awards-schatz-returns-for-igf-awar/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/01/17/cliff-bleszinski-to-host-gdc-awards-schatz-returns-for-igf-awar/#comments Planning to attend GDC? If you are, you'll get to see everyone's favorite design director of Epic Games, Cliff Bleszinski, host the 12th annual Game Developers Choice Awards, replacing Double Fine's Tim Schafer as host. The Independent Games Festival Awards is kicking it old-school with 2007-2009's host, Andy Schatz of Monaco, winner of the Seumas McNally Grand Prize and Excellence in Design awards in 2010's IGF.

Peruse the list of finalists for both award shows right here, and look for winners to be announced March 7 from GDC.

JoystiqCliff Bleszinski to host GDC Awards, Schatz returns for IGF Awards originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 17 Jan 2012 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>andy-schatzawardscliff-bleszinskiCliffyBgame-developers-choice-awardsGDCgdc-2012igfmacmicrosoftmobilemonacopcplaystationPocketwatch-Gamesps3xboxTue, 17 Jan 2012 15:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Cliff B talks Fortnite: 'There's no dudebros in it']]>http://www.joystiq.com/2011/12/11/cliff-b-talks-fortnite-theres-no-dudebros-in-it/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/12/11/cliff-b-talks-fortnite-theres-no-dudebros-in-it/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/12/11/cliff-b-talks-fortnite-theres-no-dudebros-in-it/#comments We cornered Epic lead Cliff Bleszinski on the VGAs red carpet yesterday to talk about the newly announced Fortnite, and he says that it'll be very different fare from the popular Gears of War series. "There's no dudebros in it," he told us outright. "Not that there's anything wrong with that, right? But creatively for the team, Gears has been amazing for us. But it's fun to kind of stretch our wings and do something that's a little different from the usual."

Epic's Lee Perry is the project lead on this one, but Bleszinski says that he definitely is involved in playing the game and giving feedback on development. "It was a project that was pitched internally. I was a staunch supporter of the idea, because the game is just like a no-brainer -- I was like yes."

So Epic is hard at work on Fortnite, Chair Entertainment is doing Infinity Blade on iOS, and we're curious as to what Bleszinski is up to lately. "I just hang out at the beach these days," he joked. "No, trust me, I have plenty to work on, it's just a lot of unannounced stuff. Trying to figure out where a lot of things are going in the next five years."

Given the success of Chair's iOS offerings, is that platform something that Epic's main branch would consider making games for? Bleszinski says no. "If we were to do that, which we're not, we'd probably make like six or seven iOS games. Our bread and butter is still with triple A and it's still largely with console, but it remains to be seen what happens."

JoystiqCliff B talks Fortnite: 'There's no dudebros in it' originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 11 Dec 2011 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>chair-entertainmentcliff-bleszinskiepic-gamesfortniteinfinity-bladespike-vga-2011Sun, 11 Dec 2011 14:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Epic's Cliffy B teases 'fresh, new experience' to be revealed at VGAs]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2011/12/05/epics-cliffy-b-teases-fresh-new-experience-to-be-revealed-at/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/12/05/epics-cliffy-b-teases-fresh-new-experience-to-be-revealed-at/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/12/05/epics-cliffy-b-teases-fresh-new-experience-to-be-revealed-at/#comments We've been let down by Epic teasing new IP in the past, so we're a bit wary of tipping you off on this one. That said, Epic Games design director Cliff Bleszinski took to an official Spike Video Game Awards promo himself to hint at a big reveal coming from his studio this week. "An entirely fresh, new experience" is what Bleszinski characterizes the unveiling as, specifically noting that it doesn't have anything to do with Gears of War or Infinity Blade.

Presumably, the reveal does have something to do with the once teased GDC 2011 announcement (the announcement that never happened), as well as the recent hirings, though Bleszinski isn't offering up much else in the clip. Okay, okay -- he also offers that the project is being developed internally at the Cary, NC headquarters for Epic. Otherwise, like you, we'll find out what the big secret is when the VGAs air later this week. Peep the teaser right here in the meantime.

JoystiqEpic's Cliffy B teases 'fresh, new experience' to be revealed at VGAs originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 05 Dec 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>cliff-bleszinskiepicepic-gamesnew-ipspike-vgaspike-vga-2011Mon, 05 Dec 2011 14:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Bleszinski: 'Code magic' can still squeeze power out of 360]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2011/11/09/bleszinski-code-magic-can-still-squeeze-power-out-of-360/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/11/09/bleszinski-code-magic-can-still-squeeze-power-out-of-360/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/11/09/bleszinski-code-magic-can-still-squeeze-power-out-of-360/#comments Good ol' Cliff Speaking to Next-Gen, Epic's Cliff Bleszinski expressed his belief that developers can still sap some untapped potential from Microsoft's Xbox 360. Said Bleszinski, "With creative programming you can squeeze anything out of any given platform," adding that all is needed is "a little code magic."

Bleszinski stated that Epic employed such magic in creating Gears of War 3, noting, "We're now at at the point where it's not learning how to use the hardware, it's learning to trick the hardware into doing what you want it to do." He compared the current state of Xbox 360 to the end of the Super Nintendo era, when programmers "started using Mode 7 in ways you never expected."

Presumably he's not talking about go-karts and turtle shells.

JoystiqBleszinski: 'Code magic' can still squeeze power out of 360 originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 09 Nov 2011 07:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>cliff-bleszinskiEpic-GamesmicrosoftxboxWed, 09 Nov 2011 07:01:00 EST<![CDATA[Gears of War 3 campaign DLC will focus on different cast]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2011/09/28/gears-of-war-3-campaign-dlc-will-focus-on-different-cast/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/09/28/gears-of-war-3-campaign-dlc-will-focus-on-different-cast/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/09/28/gears-of-war-3-campaign-dlc-will-focus-on-different-cast/#comments We know to expect the voice of Aisha Tyler in upcoming Gears of War 3 campaign DLC, but the rest of the cast remains a mystery. Posting in a NeoGAF thread, designer Cliff Bleszinski shared some additional details, explaining that the story won't be focused on the game's core cast.

And though it won't be based on the Gears of War graphic novels either, former Stranded-turned-COG Michael Barrick will appear. "No, it won't be the graphic novel, but it will have all new campaign content that doesn't have Marcus, Dom, Cole and Baird in it," Bleszinski wrote. "Expect Barrick and more..."

We're assuming Aisha Tyler won't be the one playing Barrick.

JoystiqGears of War 3 campaign DLC will focus on different cast originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 28 Sep 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>cliff-bleszinskidlcepic-gamesGears-of-War-3microsoftmicrosoft-studiosxboxWed, 28 Sep 2011 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Bleszinski: Shadow Complex 2 is 'largely designed' and 'sitting there']]>http://www.joystiq.com/2011/09/17/bleszinski-shadow-complex-2-is-largely-designed-and-sitting/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/09/17/bleszinski-shadow-complex-2-is-largely-designed-and-sitting/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/09/17/bleszinski-shadow-complex-2-is-largely-designed-and-sitting/#comments Remember when we told you that Shadow Complex 2 was probably going to come out, even though Epic focused on a new iOS title, Infinity Blade, after releasing Shadow Complex? Turns out we were right. Again. Epic's Cliff Bleszinski confirmed to Gamasutra that Shadow Complex 2 is "largely designed" and is just "sitting there."

Bleszinski said Epic and Chair Entertainment, the developer behind Infinity Blade and Shadow Complex, are looking for a partner to help finish the sequel. Even though it left Shadow Complex 2 behind, Bleszinski said developing Infinity Blade for iOS was the right move: "We needed a flagship product for iOS, plain and simple," he said. "And we could have ported Shadow Complex, but it would have been a lot of work and it might not have been the right fit. And then Donald Mustard suggested Punch Out!! with swords with RPG layers and we were like, 'Yes!'"

Update: We got a comment from Chair, which reads:
In a recent interview, Cliff reiterated the same thing ChAIR's Donald Mustard has said in the past and Epic President Mike Capps commented on a few weeks ago. Following the release of Shadow Complex, ChAIR did some really great design work on Shadow Complex 2. ChAIR then shifted gears to develop Infinity Blade upon noticing a huge opportunity with the emerging iOS market.

In regards to the "looking for partners" comment, its likely Cliff was referring to a potential publishing partner. Given the tremendous popularity of Shadow Complex, there's a ton of interest in a sequel and plenty more we'd like to do in that universe. We're confident we'll revisit when the right opportunity presents itself.

JoystiqBleszinski: Shadow Complex 2 is 'largely designed' and 'sitting there' originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 17 Sep 2011 00:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>chairChair-Entertainmentcliff-bleszinskiEpicEpic-Gamesinfinity-blademicrosoftmobileShadow-Complexshadow-complex-2xboxSat, 17 Sep 2011 00:50:00 EST<![CDATA[Bleszinski would 'love' to make a Kinect game]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2011/06/15/bleszinski-would-love-to-make-a-kinect-game/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/06/15/bleszinski-would-love-to-make-a-kinect-game/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/06/15/bleszinski-would-love-to-make-a-kinect-game/#comments Even though nothing's come of that Kinect-compatible Gears of War rumor, it doesn't mean Bleszinski isn't open to devloping with Microsoft's peripheral in mind. He told IndustryGamers that while he'd like to give it a go, it's really an issue of time and money. Isn't that always the case?

"If I had unlimited amounts of time and a team I could sit down and make a cool Kinect game, and I would love to, but it's a matter of time and opportunity costs right now," he said. While we knew long ago there wouldn't be any Kinect functionality in Gears of War 3, we fully expect something down the line. As one of Microsoft's most successful franchises on Xbox, we wouldn't count the series out after the release of its third game this September. But as of right now, there isn't any indication to suggest that a Kinect-compatible Gears is more than just a brilliant idea bouncing around the internet's collective noggin.

JoystiqBleszinski would 'love' to make a Kinect game originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 15 Jun 2011 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>cliff-bleszinskiepic-gamesGears-of-War-3kinectmicrosoftmicrosoft-kinectxboxWed, 15 Jun 2011 19:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Gears of War 3 single-player preview: Two paths coming together]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2011/06/08/gears-of-war-3-single-player-preview-two-paths-coming-together/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/06/08/gears-of-war-3-single-player-preview-two-paths-coming-together/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/06/08/gears-of-war-3-single-player-preview-two-paths-coming-together/#comments During Microsoft's E3 2011 press conference, Cliff Bleszinski and Ice-T took to the stage to show off some single-player co-op action in Gears of War 3. In a small room high above Microsoft's booth here at the LA Convention Center, I was given an extended look at that sequence by Bleszinski himself, who was keen to show me the destructive capabilities of the mech, which I would ultimately get to see more of in my time with Horde mode.

As you can imagine, the Silverback mech is pretty powerful. But before we could get to that, Bleszinski set the scene. "The section we saw at the press conference showed Marcus and Dom on a flotilla, dealing with a Lambent Leviathan. It's ultimately taken out by them in a Silverback while Cole and Baird up above take a giant crate of Tickers and empty it onto it. Once we're done with Marcus and Dom, we're going to swap over to Cole and Baird and play with them during that same sequence."

Gallery: Gears of War 3 (E3 2011)

Continue reading Gears of War 3 single-player preview: Two paths coming together

JoystiqGears of War 3 single-player preview: Two paths coming together originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 08 Jun 2011 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>cliff-bleszinskie3e3-2011EpicGears-of-War-3microsoftMicrosoft-Game-Studiosmicrosoft-gamesxboxWed, 08 Jun 2011 20:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Bleszinski: Master Chief passed on a Gears of War 3 cameo]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2011/05/02/bleszinski-master-chief-passed-on-a-gears-of-war-3-cameo/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/05/02/bleszinski-master-chief-passed-on-a-gears-of-war-3-cameo/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/05/02/bleszinski-master-chief-passed-on-a-gears-of-war-3-cameo/#comments Curious as to why the Xbox 360's two biggest exclusive shooters never managed to fuse, forming some kind of chimera made of space armor and hilariously disproportionate guns? Wonder no more -- in a recent interview with Complex, Gears of War' designer Cliff Bleszinski revealed, "I actually approached Microsoft on getting Master Chief into the game, but those guys are kind of squeamish." He jokingly added, "If you had to break it down, I'd say that Gears is like Mortal Kombat and Halo is like Street Fighter."

From there, things get ... a little grisly. Bleszinski said, "if we were to get Master Chief, we'd get his model, put him in a COG suit, make it blow up, and do some test animation work. We'd have to see what his head looks like being blown to smithereens or how his arm would look getting sawed off." We're not sure the ol' arm-saw technique's gonna work on MC. After all, this is the same guy who can get shot point blank by a rocket-propelled grenade without suffering any structural damage.

JoystiqBleszinski: Master Chief passed on a Gears of War 3 cameo originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 02 May 2011 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bungiecliff-bleszinskiepic-gamesGears-of-War-3master-chiefmicrosoftMicrosoft-Game-StudiosxboxMon, 02 May 2011 19:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Bleszinski: Gears 3 multiplayer has to be good, or 'the franchise is dead']]>http://www.joystiq.com/2011/03/10/bleszinski-gears-3-multiplayer-has-to-be-good-or-the-franchis/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/03/10/bleszinski-gears-3-multiplayer-has-to-be-good-or-the-franchis/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/03/10/bleszinski-gears-3-multiplayer-has-to-be-good-or-the-franchis/#comments Not only are we excited about the prospect of joining the Gears of War 3 beta next month because, you know, of all the dude-sawing -- we're also hopeful that the tests will prevent a rough start-up for the full game's multiplayer experience. In an interview with IGN, Epic Games design director Cliff Bleszinski acknowledged (the beta test-less) Gears of War 2's less-than-optimal online offerings at launch, saying the developer "can't afford to make that mistake twice."

The outspoken developer explained, "if we release Gears 3 and it has the same launch as Gears 2 online then the franchise is dead." He later added, "to be fair, over the course of the six title updates, we got Gears 2 in a very good position. And we need to take it to great. And that's what this will help do." We've got another suggestion for making the game "great" -- two chainsaws. One on your gun, and another one on your chainsaw.

Chainsawsaw.

JoystiqBleszinski: Gears 3 multiplayer has to be good, or 'the franchise is dead' originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 10 Mar 2011 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>betabeta-testcliff-bleszinskiepic-gamesGears-of-War-3microsoftMicrosoft-Game-StudiospcxboxThu, 10 Mar 2011 21:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Bleszinski: Marry gamers, don't date them (or: design long-term engagement for fans)]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2011/03/06/bleszinski-marry-gamers-dont-date-them-or-design-long-term/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/03/06/bleszinski-marry-gamers-dont-date-them-or-design-long-term/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/03/06/bleszinski-marry-gamers-dont-date-them-or-design-long-term/#comments In a candid talk during the Game Developers Conference on Thursday, Epic Games design director Cliff Bleszinksi advised attendees to "have an educated gut," and to be cognizant of the value of marketing and long-term relationships with customers. He encapsulated his talk in the "power creative," a project member who is unique, valuable and visibly tied to the game's identity. "This could be anyone," Bleszinski said.

With consumers constantly immersed in an information feed -- via social networking platforms like Twitter and Facebook -- it's important for game designers to be "surgical" and "devious" in creating IPs that thrive in an always-on, heavily branded world. According to Bleszinski, the market only tolerates games that land on the far ends of the spectrum between freemium or "snack" games and big-budget productions like Gears of War. "I believe the middle class game is dead."

Continue reading Bleszinski: Marry gamers, don't date them (or: design long-term engagement for fans)

JoystiqBleszinski: Marry gamers, don't date them (or: design long-term engagement for fans) originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 06 Mar 2011 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>cliff-bleszinskigdc-2011Gears-of-War-3ipmicrosoftpcplaystationps3xboxSun, 06 Mar 2011 15:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Unreal: Cliff Bleszinski really likes musicals]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2011/02/24/unreal-cliff-bleszinski-really-likes-musicals/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/02/24/unreal-cliff-bleszinski-really-likes-musicals/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/02/24/unreal-cliff-bleszinski-really-likes-musicals/#comments Listen, just because Cliff Bleszinski makes games where you chainsaw dudes in half doesn't mean the man can't feel. Like, take this interview with Adult Swim about his favorite shows for instance, in which he admits that he kinda, sorta loves musicals:
I can enjoy a twisted, strange movie like [Funny Games] but also be like, "Sweet! Chicago's on Blu-ray now! Let's go see The Lion King on Broadway! Oh my God, I love Wicked!" ... There's this weird dichotomy going on with my tastes. I think it's important to enjoy all spectrums of entertainment that way.
Well, this certainly explains why so many Epic games feature highly choreographed knife fights between rival gangs. Also, because we were all thinking it: This.

... No? Well, we were thinking it.

JoystiqUnreal: Cliff Bleszinski really likes musicals originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 24 Feb 2011 18:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>cliff-bleszinskicliffy-bdefying-gravityepic-gamesmusicalswickedThu, 24 Feb 2011 18:20:00 EST<![CDATA[Gears of War 3 multiplayer preview: Dedicated to the fans]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2011/02/24/gears-of-war-3-multiplayer-preview/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/02/24/gears-of-war-3-multiplayer-preview/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/02/24/gears-of-war-3-multiplayer-preview/#comments When Gears of War 2 launched, its mutliplayer community quickly singled out two distinct issues: the nerfed shotgun and a mess of glitches, including a host exploit that was allowing unscrupulous players to gain an unfair advantage. Epic would eventually address these issues through title updates, but one serious problem remained: all of those damn cheaters.

These ne'er-do-wells plagued the community until the bottom fell out, leaving only a dedicated core group of players. You won't find too many folks playing much Gears 2 these days.

For Gears of Wars 3 multiplayer, Epic is adding dedicated servers, the community's most requested feature, which design director Cliff Bleszinski describes as "the best way" to combat cheating.

Gallery: Gears of War 3 (2/24/2011)

Continue reading Gears of War 3 multiplayer preview: Dedicated to the fans

JoystiqGears of War 3 multiplayer preview: Dedicated to the fans originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 24 Feb 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>cliff-bleszinskidedicated-serverepic-gamesGears-of-War-3microsoftmicrosoft-game-studiosrod-fergussonxboxThu, 24 Feb 2011 15:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Cliff Bleszinski talks Bulletstorm's development, canned co-op]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2011/02/18/cliff-bleszinski-talks-bulletstorms-development-canned-co-op/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/02/18/cliff-bleszinski-talks-bulletstorms-development-canned-co-op/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/02/18/cliff-bleszinski-talks-bulletstorms-development-canned-co-op/#comments Speaking to the Telegraph, Epic's Cliff Bleszinski discussed the development process of Bulletstorm. He noted that the game began as a cover-based, third-person shooter akin to Gears of War "but in a world that felt like you were eternally in a factory that manufactured sparks." Over time, the team came up with the leash and sliding, and changed over to the first-person perspective that we see today. The leash in particular changed the gameplay, with Bleszinski noting, "we realized people were playing with their enemies like a cat plays with a mouse before he takes it out, so we thought why not reward people for that, and so the points system came along."

Another interesting tidbit: Bulletstorm originally had campaign cooperative play, but it was eventually removed. According to Bleszinski, co-op killed the game's pacing: it "just broke down, and it was a situation where people would race through the game, ignoring the vistas and they wouldn't set up as many skillshots," he said. That's probably for the best, because we're not sure today's processors could have handled the profanity generated by another Bulletstorm character anyway.

JoystiqCliff Bleszinski talks Bulletstorm's development, canned co-op originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 18 Feb 2011 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Bulletstormcliff-bleszinskiepicmicrosoftpcpeople-can-flyplaystationps3xboxFri, 18 Feb 2011 20:30:00 EST<![CDATA[3DS, Donkey Kong Country Returns, Bleszinski talks at GDC]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2011/01/18/3ds-donkey-kong-country-returns-bleszinski-talks-at-gdc/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/01/18/3ds-donkey-kong-country-returns-bleszinski-talks-at-gdc/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/01/18/3ds-donkey-kong-country-returns-bleszinski-talks-at-gdc/#commentsWe're guessing Satoru Iwata will talk about the 3DS during his Game Developers Conference keynote. But it's even safer to assume that Nintendo's Hideki Konno will mention the system during his newly-announced GDC talk, called "The Development Process of the Nintendo 3DS". Konno works as producer for Nintendo hardware, and is also producing Nintendogs + Cats, so he should have at least a passing familiarity with the hardware.

A third high-profile Nintendo talk has also been announced: Nintendo's Kensuke Tanabe and Retro Studios' Michael Kelbaugh and Bryan Walker will present "We Hate You: Why Donkey Kong Country Returns was So Hard". Okay, it's actually called "Donkey Kong: Swinging Across Oceans" and it's about developing the game across continents.

GDC also announced one more marquee presentation: Cliff Bleszinski's "Industry Lessons Learned and Applying Them to the Road Ahead", a wide-ranging talk about "Bleszinski's thoughts on AAA gaming, social gaming, and the connected future" as well as the importance of PR and marketing to game design.

Joystiq3DS, Donkey Kong Country Returns, Bleszinski talks at GDC originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 18 Jan 2011 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>3dsbryan-walkercliff-bleszinskidsepic-gamesgdc-2011kensuke-tanabemichael-kelbaughmicrosoftnintendopcretro-studioswiixboxTue, 18 Jan 2011 14:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Epic Games to reveal new IP at GDC 2011]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2010/12/28/epic-games-to-reveal-new-ip-at-gdc-2011/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/12/28/epic-games-to-reveal-new-ip-at-gdc-2011/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/12/28/epic-games-to-reveal-new-ip-at-gdc-2011/#comments Cliff Bleszinski said recently that Epic Games would unveil a brand new IP at next year's Game Developers Conference in San Francisco. This will be a brand new universe, unrelated to anything Epic has done before, according to Bleszinski. "Gamers votes with their dollars and they often like established IP, but those IPs came from somewhere, right?" he told EGM. "Call of Duty was crafted by the original Medal of Honor guys. Gears of War was crafted by the original Unreal Tournament guy. I look forward to creating what's next."

We pinged Bleszinski ourselves to try and find out what platform Epic is aiming for, but he tells us there's "not much to say yet." The company has had a lot of success with Infinity Blade on iOS recently, and has also been rumored to be working on a Kinect title. GDC 2011 kicks off on February 28 -- we'll be there in San Francisco to cover any announcement for you.

JoystiqEpic Games to reveal new IP at GDC 2011 originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 28 Dec 2010 21:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>cliff-bleszinskicliffy-bepic-gamesgame-developers-conferencegdc-2011gdc2011intellectual-propertyipnew-ipTue, 28 Dec 2010 21:10:00 EST<![CDATA[Gears of War 3 to include 'special unlocks' referencing other Epic games]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2010/12/20/gears-of-war-3-to-include-special-unlocks-referencing-other-ep/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/12/20/gears-of-war-3-to-include-special-unlocks-referencing-other-ep/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/12/20/gears-of-war-3-to-include-special-unlocks-referencing-other-ep/#comments Epic Games design director Cliff Bleszinski has tweeted that Gears of War 3 will feature some "special unlocks" for fans of other games the company has had a hand in, including Unreal Tournament 3, the upcoming Bulletstorm and Chair Entertainment's Shadow Complex. Don't worry if you don't happen to own one of those, though, as Epic tells Joystiq directly that Bleszinski was talking about "unlockable content" for everyone rather than something specifically for owners of those other games. "Everybody gets the content," we were told, but "those 'in the know' will just 'get it.'"

As in "get a little more excitement out of it," because Epic fans will understand the references. In fact, Epic even added one more title to the list of references that the third Gears of War game will make: its iOS hit Infinity Blade. And if you don't know your God King from your Jason Flemming, or what an Impact Hammer is, then you've got plenty of time to find out before Gears 3 debuts later on in 2011.

JoystiqGears of War 3 to include 'special unlocks' referencing other Epic games originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 20 Dec 2010 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>cliff-bleszinskicontentepic-gamesGears-of-War-3microsoftreferencesunlocksxboxMon, 20 Dec 2010 19:30:00 EST<![CDATA[UDK out for iOS, Epic demonstrates with Jazz Jackrabbit [update: video!]]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2010/12/16/udk-out-for-ios-epic-demonstrates-with-jazz-jackrabbit/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/12/16/udk-out-for-ios-epic-demonstrates-with-jazz-jackrabbit/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/12/16/udk-out-for-ios-epic-demonstrates-with-jazz-jackrabbit/#commentsThe December update for the Unreal Development Kit is available, adding support for development of iOS games in Unreal Engine 3. To help you get started, the latest version includes the full source code for Epic Citadel (along with another new castle map), so you can figure out how those impressive medieval landscapes came to be.

To further prove what's possible with the engine, Epic put together a technically impressive twin-stick shooter starring none other than Jazz Jackrabbit, star of Cliff Bleszinski's 1994 side-scroller of the same name. Check out screenshots of this proof-of-concept game in our gallery. Epic told Joystiq that it's currently just a demonstration; the company doesn't have plans to release it.

[Update: There's now a tutorial video featuring the Jazz Jackrabbit game, and a "sizzle" video for UDK, after the break.]

Gallery: Jazz Jackrabbit (iOS UDK)


Continue reading UDK out for iOS, Epic demonstrates with Jazz Jackrabbit [update: video!]

JoystiqUDK out for iOS, Epic demonstrates with Jazz Jackrabbit [update: video!] originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 16 Dec 2010 11:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>cliff-bleszinskiepic-gamesiosjazz-jackrabbitmobileudkunreal-development-kitunreal-engine-3Thu, 16 Dec 2010 11:45:00 EST<![CDATA[Bleszinski sounds off on Bulletstorm's Whedon-esque inspirations, cactus murder]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2010/12/08/bleszinski-sounds-off-on-bulletstorms-whedon-esque-inspirations/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/12/08/bleszinski-sounds-off-on-bulletstorms-whedon-esque-inspirations/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/12/08/bleszinski-sounds-off-on-bulletstorms-whedon-esque-inspirations/#comments Epic Games design director and Gears of War guru Cliff Bleszinski was recently cornered by PlayStation Blog to chat about the studio's upcoming, over-the-top shooter, Bulletstorm, co-developed by People Can Fly. The outspoken designer shares more than a few interesting pieces of insight into the foul-mouthed title, such as the game drawing creative inspiration from Joss Whedon's short-lived "pulp sci-fi" series, Firefly. Bleszinski also drops a few more details about the game's Horde-inspired co-op mode, Anarchy, which sounds appropriately insane.

Additionally, Bleszinski describes his favorite kill (from the game) -- but we're not sure we can contextualize it in a way that you could understand. Just know that a cactus is involved.

Continue reading Bleszinski sounds off on Bulletstorm's Whedon-esque inspirations, cactus murder

JoystiqBleszinski sounds off on Bulletstorm's Whedon-esque inspirations, cactus murder originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 08 Dec 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Bulletstormcliff-bleszinskieaepic-gamesmicrosoftpcpeople-can-flyplaystationps3xboxWed, 08 Dec 2010 15:00:00 EST<![CDATA[No Kinect in Gears of War 3, Bleszinski assures]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2010/11/16/no-kinect-in-gears-of-war-3-bleszinski-assures/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/11/16/no-kinect-in-gears-of-war-3-bleszinski-assures/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/11/16/no-kinect-in-gears-of-war-3-bleszinski-assures/#comments Cliff Bleszinski has curb-stomped the rumor of Kinect functionality appearing in Gears of War 3. Responding to a report by IGN that suggested motion-control features would emerge in a Gears of War game, the Epic Games developer said on his Twitter: "No Kinect in Gears of War 3."

The IGN piece did leave some wiggle room for itself, noting that it "cannot clarify whether or not this is an all-new Gears of War for Kinect or if it's an existing Gears of War game, retro-fitted for the camera controller." The reveal will apparently be made at the Spike TV Video Games Awards. Master of WORLD EXCLUSIVES, Geoff Keighley, has already started to hype the show's "world premiere announcements," teasing two earlier reveals set for Wednesday.

If Microsoft wants to combine Gears of War with some optional Kinect functionality, it seems like a perfectly reasonable way to get more core gamers interested in the peripheral, which is a little too family friendly with its catalog at the moment. However, if we don't get a Tickle-Me Dominic[TM] minigame, we'll consider any Kinect/Gears crossover a failure.

JoystiqNo Kinect in Gears of War 3, Bleszinski assures originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 16 Nov 2010 09:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>cliff-bleszinskiEpicEpic-GamesGears-of-War-3Geoff-KeighleyKinectmicrosoftVGA-2010xboxTue, 16 Nov 2010 09:08:00 EST<![CDATA[Cliff Bleszinski (probably) beat more NES games than you]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2010/09/24/cliff-bleszinski-probably-beat-more-nes-games-than-you/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/09/24/cliff-bleszinski-probably-beat-more-nes-games-than-you/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/09/24/cliff-bleszinski-probably-beat-more-nes-games-than-you/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Beyond being recognized as a high score champion in the first issue of Nintendo Power, Gears of War creative lead Cliff Bleszinski has an NES marked up with permanent tallies -- what he approximates to represent "close to 60" completed games. He's also got a totally rad sticker of Link on it.

Continue reading Cliff Bleszinski (probably) beat more NES games than you

JoystiqCliff Bleszinski (probably) beat more NES games than you originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 24 Sep 2010 17:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>cliff-bleszinskiclifford-bleszinskicliffy-bnesFri, 24 Sep 2010 17:20:00 EST<![CDATA[Interview: Cliff Bleszinski on Gears of War 3]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2010/06/22/cliff-bleszinski-gears-of-war-3-interview/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/06/22/cliff-bleszinski-gears-of-war-3-interview/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/06/22/cliff-bleszinski-gears-of-war-3-interview/#comments During E3, we managed to distract Cliff Bleszinski, design director for Epic Games and the face of Gears of War, long enough for an interview. Despite our intense interrogation, he remained a good sport throughout and offered us candid answers. The full interview follows.

Joystiq: Most of the things we want to ask, you probably can't talk about yet -- like Gears 3 multiplayer ...

Cliff Bleszinski: Can't talk about that yet.

Okay, let's try it this way: in Gears 1, a lot of people complained about opponents being able to roadie run into them, stun them with a punch and then shoot them -- and you guys fixed that with updates. Are you concerned that the new spearing ability, with the retro Lancer, is going to lead to similar complaints in Gears 3 multiplayer?

You know, we try our best that before we ship, we balance these things as much as possible. But when you release into the wild, you never know what the gamers are going to come up with.

So in regards to the Lancer charge, we're going to try our best to, you know, play with it as much as we can and you never know. We did six title updates to Gears 2 and we continue to refine that experience. Matchmaking wasn't the best at the start, but we stand behind our products and continue to support them.

Gallery: Gears of War 3

Continue reading Interview: Cliff Bleszinski on Gears of War 3

JoystiqInterview: Cliff Bleszinski on Gears of War 3 originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 22 Jun 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Cliff-Bleszinskie3-2010Epic-GamesGears-of-WarGears-of-War-3Tue, 22 Jun 2010 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Video: Gears of War 3 campaign demonstration]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2010/06/21/video-gears-of-war-3-campaign-demonstration/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/06/21/video-gears-of-war-3-campaign-demonstration/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/06/21/video-gears-of-war-3-campaign-demonstration/#comments If you were absent, either online or otherwise, from the Microsoft press conference last week at E3, you probably missed out on Cliff Bleszinski's brief demonstration of Gears of War 3's single-player campaign. No worries -- through the power of internet magic, we've captured this moment in time and embedded it in a video posted after the jump. Now you can witness all the profanity, bloodshed and bayoneting from the safety and comfort of your own home.

Continue reading Video: Gears of War 3 campaign demonstration

JoystiqVideo: Gears of War 3 campaign demonstration originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 21 Jun 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>cliff-bleszinskidemoe3-2010gears-of-war-3microsoftxboxMon, 21 Jun 2010 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Gears of War 3, now with Ice-T]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2010/06/17/gears-of-war-3-now-with-ice-t/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/06/17/gears-of-war-3-now-with-ice-t/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/06/17/gears-of-war-3-now-with-ice-t/#commentsFiled under: , ,

That rumor about Ice-T playing a role in Gears of War 3? Totally true. The man himself took the stage at tonight's Gears of War 3 shindig in downtown LA, as indicated by Major Nelson on Twitter (and seen in the picture above, also care of Major's tweet). Apparently, he'll voice a character named Griffin, with Gears creator Cliff Bleszinski mentioning Ice "won't stop telling everyone about his role as Griffin in Gears 3."

What's that, you say? You're just as excited as we are to hear Ice-T's debut gameplay voiceover role? Good! Now get back to reading about E3 2010, won't you?

Update: Microsoft officially detailed Ice's character Griffin as the leader of "a rag-tag group of human survivors, known as the Stranded, who Marcus Fenix and Delta Squad will encounter as they battle the infected Lambent."

JoystiqGears of War 3, now with Ice-T originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 17 Jun 2010 02:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Cliff-Bleszinskie3e3-2010Gears-of-WarGears-of-War-3Ice-TmicrosoftThu, 17 Jun 2010 02:00:00 EST