Cliffy B Consciously Uncouples from Game Development

May 15, 2018

In a move that has surprised few, Boss Key Productions has today announced it is shutting down after four years of developing games. Boss Key was founded by Gears of War creator Cliffy B (Cliff Bleszinski) and Arjan Brussee (Guerrilla Games co-founder), and quickly went to work on developing online shooter LawBreakers.

Lawbreakers launched in August last year to somewhat positive reviews, labeling it a decent alternative to Overwatch, however some suggested the market for online shooters was already saturated leaving little room for LawBreakers. Rocket Chainsaw reviewed LawBreakers at launch, giving it 3.5 stars and saying it “offers its own unique style of gameplay which separates it from the crowd.

Earlier this year, player numbers dwindled to single digits and the game fell completely off the radar. Boss Key Productions had also already lost hope in LawBreakers, when they launched their second game Radical Heights in April 2018 – a battle-royale style game with a 1980’s theme. With its basic physics and graphics, the game stood little chance against heavyweights Player Unknown’s Battlegrounds and Fortnite, leading to the following tweet from Cliffy B himself:

So for now it’s good-bye to Cliffy B as he distances himself from the gaming community. Hopefully we will see him return in the not too distant future with more new ideas.