I started off 2024 with Cliff “CliffyB” Bleszinski’s memoir, Control Freak: My Epic Adventures Making Games. I posted about the book last month. A few weeks ago, I was able to interview Cliff for the Season 4 Premiere of the myVGBC Podcast.

Cliff began his career making games at Epic Games. This was well before it became the Epic Games we know today — thanks to Fortnite. He was the lead game designer on Unreal and the Gears of War franchise. It was because of Gears of War, and my love for that game, that I began following his career.

The Gears of War series was a big deal for my friend group. We made our way through the first few games cooperatively, and we spent countless hours surviving in Horde Mode. Cliff later left Epic to start his own studio, Boss Key Productions (Lawbreakers), before moving away from the games industry altogether.

During our chat we touched on his adventures in the gaming industry, the process of writing his memoir, what he’s up to today, and our shared love of comedy — and our recent adventures in Stand-Up Comedy.

You can watch the full interview right here:

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Cliff’s book, Control Freak: My Epic Adventures Making Games is available here.

Cliff also recently finished his first comic series, Scrapper, with co-writer Alex de Campi and artist Sandy Jarrell. The hardcover trade will be available later this month.