Gears of War creator Cliff Bleszinski just confirmed on Twitter (X) that he had a game pitch similar to Palworld that Epic Games rejected. Read on to learn more about Bleszinski’s rejected game and his continued support for the Gears franchise.
Gears of War Creator Cliff Bleszinski Pitched a Palworld-like Game to Epic
Nobody Was Interested in Bleszinski’s Pitch
Palworld is still rocketing through the charts right now, and it’s looking like it was supposed to have a peer. Gears of War creator Cliff Bleszinski revealed on Twitter(X) that he pitched a game similar to Palworld once but it was "rejected at all the major publishers."
Though the pitch was mostly aimed at Epic Games, it seemed that nobody was keen to pick up on the idea at the time. Palworld’s success recontextualized Bleszinski’s original pitch to the modern setting, however, and the Gears of War veteran himself was keen to agree, saying that it "kinda validates my pitch that was turned down [many years ago]."
Bleszinski didn’t share too many particulars about the rejected pitch, describing it for a curious commenter as "medieval Pokémon with baby dragons instead." Bleszinski also revealed in a separate Tweet that he had another idea for an open-world game at the time that was "about a girl who could control the world at a molecular level." No further details regarding either game were revealed.
Bleszinski was quick to decline when questioned about his plans to bring the idea back in light of Palworld’s success, stating that "Epic owns the overall idea."
Bleszinski Open to Consult Microsoft for the Gears Franchise
Shares An Extended Public Statement About Not Being Contacted by MS/Coalition
This isn’t all that Bleszinski’s been up to lately, as he recently came out with a public statement regarding his stance on continuing his work on the Gears franchise. The statement came via a Twitter (X) post, which expanded on his openness to the idea of consulting for the famous game franchise.
"Look, we’ve been over this a million times re: Gears," Bleszinksi stated in his post. "I’m down to consult. Give my two cents. Crickets. I understand that Gears will always be an enormous part of my legacy. I appreciate and respect that."
"That said, MS/Coalition haven’t hit me up. OK," he continued. "It is what it is. If they were smart, they’d enlist me for my input because just from a PR standpoint alone it would be gold. But nothing. Ah well. It is what it is. So be it."
Cliff Bleszinski Has Moved on From Gears
Bleszinski – known online through his Twitter handle @therealcliffyb – last worked on the Gears franchise in 2011 as a designer for Gears of War 3. He has since moved on to create Boss Key Productions, a game company responsible for Lawbreakers and Radical Heights, which both flopped and took the company down with them. Bleszinski never let this wither his spirit, though, as he reveals later in the statement.
"Last few years I’ve moved on. Boss Key didn’t work out, fine, sh*t happens," he continued. "So, I moved on. Restaurants. Broadway. My memoir. And now, comics (and stand-up comedy!) As much as I appreciate your support and those who know me from my Gears work (I did do a lot more than that series, for the record) it’s time to move on. I’m on a new journey. I have been for some time now."
The ball is in Microsoft’s court now whether they’ll require Bleszinski’s help with the Gears franchise moving forward or not.
