Epic Games has just announced that Cliff Bleszinski, Design Director of Epic Games, has left the company.

"In my 10 years of working with Cliff, his passion for creating video games of the highest quality has been unflinching." said Dr. Michael Capps, Epic Games President in a blog post. "We are grateful for all of his hard work, and remain committed to making our fans happy and to always raising the bar in everything we do at Epic,"

Bleszinski  has worked on titles such as Jazz Jackrabbit and the stellar hit Gears of War franchise.

Bleszinski released a statement to his colleagues:

"I've been doing this since I was a teenager, and outside of my sabbatical last year, I have been going non-stop. I literally grew up in this business, as Mike likes to say. And now that I'm grown up, it's time for a much needed break.

I will miss the projects, the playtests, the debates, and most importantly, the people. Epic only hires the best of the best, and it has been a joy working with each and every one of you on a daily basis, whether you were hired weeks ago or decades ago. I have been fortunate enough to collaborate with a variety of disciplines, from code to art to marketing and PR - it's been one big, rewarding learning experience. I'm confident that each project that is being built, whether at Epic, Chair, PCF, or Impossible will be top notch and will please gamers and critics alike."