First it was BioWare’s co-founders Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk who announced that they were retiring from the games industry; even more recently another titan in the field, Cliff Bleszinski (most often and fondly referred to as CliffyB) has revealed that he was leaving Epic Games after twenty years.

 

While notable and respected veterans in any industry leave companies all the time, the gaming industry’s loss of all three within the space of a couple of months begs the question as to what impact it will have on the industry as a whole – and on the quality and ambition of titles -  going forward.

 

 

The trio’s departure is made even more notable by the size, and impact, that both companies have had on the industry over an extended period of time. BioWare, for example, set many a benchmark for role playing games over the past few decades, with the likes of The Elder Scrolls series, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, and more recently, Mass Effect, while Epic Games excelled at first person shooters.

 

More worryingly, in BioWare’s case, are signs of a worrying waning of that studio’s expertise. Its Star Wars: The Old Republic massively multiplayer online (MMO) role playing game hardly performed to expectations, with the company recently announcing that the title was moving to free to play, while its lead designer, Daniel Erickson, indicated that he too was leaving the studio.  

 

Additionally, such an outcry was raised by the ending of Mass Effect 3 that the company capitulated to fans’ dissatisfaction and released downloadable content which offered an alternative ending to the space operatic saga.

 

Even though the studio has reassured that Muzyka and Zeschuk left the studio in good hands, with its general manager elaborating that fans had Dragon Age 3 and an as yet undisclosed new intellectual property to look forward to, we truly hope BioWare is not losing its touch, as the rather disastrous PS3 version of Skyrim alludes to.

 

 

 

As Epic’s design director, Bleszinski has been at the helm at some of the studio’s most well-known franchises, such as the Unreal and Gears of War games.

 

In a note to his colleagues, Bleszinski explained his decision: “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.”

 

Tim Sweeney, Epic’s founder, CEO and technical director, commented that “in twenty 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.

 

Indeed, some of our favourite gaming moments come from the sheer anticipation and thrill contained within the Unreal and Gears of War franchises; and it is tough not to think of Bleszinski’s hand in crafting such moments when playing (or as the case may be, replaying) those titles.

 

 

While we certainly wish the gaming luminary all the best for his future plans, we can’t help feeling that the gaming industry will be just a little bit worse off for his, and for Muzyka’s and Zeschuk’s loss.At the very least, we suspect that in the long run it could portend the end of an era of sorts for gaming fans, at least with regards to the spirit of the games that many have become accustomed to playing.