Gears of Wars: Ultimate Edition has folks getting nostalgic. Designer Cliff Bleszinski, who left Epic Games in 2012, used Twitter last night to share behind-the-scenes details about the game. Who knew how much of the series was inspired by the collapse of his first marriage?
You’ll want to scroll through Bleszinski’s Twitter account to read everything he sent out, but I pulled some of the most interesting bits and compiled them below.
Anya originally had huge boobs but I pushed back on Pete to make her less cartoony. Ironic, considering the guys. #GearsFacts
— Cliff Bleszinski (@therealcliffyb) August 25, 2015
I never asked for buff characters. Kevin Lanning just made it that way with the AD Jerry. #GearsFacts
— Cliff Bleszinski (@therealcliffyb) August 25, 2015
A lot of Gears 1’s inspiration game out of my sadness from the failure of my first marriage and a visit to London. #GearsFacts
— Cliff Bleszinski (@therealcliffyb) August 25, 2015
In hindsight, the Berserker being female and being chained down for breeding is really fucked up. I was in a dark place. #GearsFacts
— Cliff Bleszinski (@therealcliffyb) August 25, 2015
Before I pitched it to Microsoft I did a bunch of pushups in the hotel and listened to Eminem’s Lose Yourself because dudebro. #GearsFacts
— Cliff Bleszinski (@therealcliffyb) August 25, 2015
Maria was my personal statement on Terri Schaivo and my belief in right to death…through a dudebro shooter with lizard men. #GearsFacts
— Cliff Bleszinski (@therealcliffyb) August 25, 2015
Picture of Dom and Maria from the SE of Gears 2 was drawn based on my ex girlfriend and I at the time. #GearsFacts
— Cliff Bleszinski (@therealcliffyb) August 25, 2015
The torture the Locust did in Gears was my thinly veiled statement about Gitmo…through a dudebro shooter with lizardmen. #GearsFacts
— Cliff Bleszinski (@therealcliffyb) August 25, 2015
Marcus was named Fenix because I lost everything from the failed marriage and was rising from my own ashes. #GearsFacts
— Cliff Bleszinski (@therealcliffyb) August 25, 2015
Mad World was my anthem when I was going through the failure of my first marriage. Somehow marketing felt this and suggested it. #GearsFacts
— Cliff Bleszinski (@therealcliffyb) August 25, 2015
The other song was “My Immortal” by Evanescence but that’s way less cool. #GearsFacts
— Cliff Bleszinski (@therealcliffyb) August 25, 2015
Baird was named after a childhood friend who was a bit of a dick, Mark Baird. #GearsFacts Baird just sounds like a dick. @papiblez rite?
— Cliff Bleszinski (@therealcliffyb) August 25, 2015
Before the game came out, Randy Pitchford came to town to play it and saw how tough the Locust were and said “it’s a grinder.” #GearsFacts
— Cliff Bleszinski (@therealcliffyb) August 25, 2015
In SP the last bullet in each magazine is 25% stronger so the chances of “oh shit” fighting a bad guy are high in the game. #GearsFacts
— Cliff Bleszinski (@therealcliffyb) August 25, 2015
Boomers were named after the robots from Bubblegum Crisis, which was inspired by Blade Runner. #GearsFacts
— Cliff Bleszinski (@therealcliffyb) August 25, 2015
I texted Rod at brunch at the Flying Biscuit in Raleigh “we gotta kill Dom.” https://t.co/mbZ2x9boHC
— Cliff Bleszinski (@therealcliffyb) August 25, 2015
Comments
5 responses to “Gears Of War Designer Shares Lots Of Behind-The-Scenes Details”
“Gears of War designer”.
Come on Patrick, pretty sure you could have just gone with Cliffy B or Cliff Bleszinski.
Who would be familiar with such an obscure and private individual by name though?
I”m fairly confident Kotaku readers would be somewhat familiar with Cliff.
If Baird was named for a friend of his who was “kind of a dick”, whoever inspired Carmine must have been a real asshole.
Interesting