What is Cliff Bleszinski's Net Worth?
Cliff Bleszinski, a renowned video game designer, boasts a net worth of $16 million. He gained prominence for his contributions to the 'Unreal' and 'Gears of War' franchises. Bleszinski served Epic Games from 1992 to 2012 and later co-founded Boss Key Productions in 2014. Post the company's closure in 2018, he transitioned to theater production as an investor and co-producer of the Tony-winning musical 'Hadestown.'
Early Life
Cliff Bleszinski was born on February 12, 1975, in Boston, Massachusetts. He grew up with two brothers, Greg and Tyler. A prodigious video game enthusiast, Bleszinski made it to the inaugural issue of Nintendo Power magazine at age 13 for achieving an impressive high score of nearly 10,000,000 on 'Super Mario Bros.' At 15, he secured the second position at the Nintendo World Championships.
Career Beginnings
Bleszinski embarked on his professional journey by founding Game Syndicate Productions as a teenager. His debut game, 'Palace of Deceit,' initially released for MS-DOS in 1991, later evolved into the graphical point-and-click game 'The Dragon's Plight' for Windows 3 in 1992.
Epic Games
In 1992, Bleszinski joined Epic Games, where his career soared with the 1994 platformer 'Jazz Jackrabbit,' co-developed with Arjan Brussee. The game's success allowed Bleszinski to purchase his first apartment and car. His next milestone came in 1998 with 'Unreal,' co-developed with James Schmalz. This first-person shooter powered by Unreal Engine fostered a popular franchise. Bleszinski also contributed to subsequent titles like 'Unreal Tournament,' 'Unreal Tournament 2003,' 'Unreal Championship,' and 'Unreal Tournament 2004,' along with consulting on 'Rune.'
The 'Gears of War' franchise, launched in 2006, marked another significant achievement for Bleszinski, who served as the lead designer for the first three installments. The series became a bestselling franchise for the Xbox 360. Exhausted and jaded, Bleszinski left Epic Games in October 2012, a year after the final 'Gears of War' release, intending to retire from the video game industry permanently.
Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images
Boss Key Productions
In summer 2014, Bleszinski announced his return from retirement via Twitter, co-founding Boss Key Productions with Arjan Brussee in Raleigh, North Carolina. The company's first game, 'LawBreakers,' released in 2017, was well-received critically but failed commercially, leading to its shutdown in 2018. The subsequent release, 'Radical Heights,' continued the trend of commercial failure, culminating in the company's closure in May 2018.
Other Projects
After Boss Key Productions' closure, Bleszinski ventured into theater production. He invested in and co-produced Anaïs Mitchell's musical 'Hadestown,' which premiered in London in 2018 and moved to Broadway in 2019, winning eight Tony Awards, including Best Musical. He also invested in the 2019 Broadway revival of Terrence McNally's play 'Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune.' Additionally, he co-produced Jeremy Snead's 2014 documentary 'Video Games: The Movie' and published his memoir, 'Control Freak: My Epic Adventure Making Video Games,' by Simon & Schuster in late 2022.
Personal Life
In 2012, Bleszinski married former professional gamer Lauren Berggren. The couple resides in Raleigh, North Carolina, where Bleszinski opened two bars: The Station and The Raleigh Beer Garden.
