Cliffy B invested in Oculus Rift, cautious about next gen

still waiting for attention from Nintendo

In recent interview with Engadget, former Gears of War honcho Cliff Bleszinski caught us up with his current projects, which entail talking about videogames, investing in Oculus Rift, and… playing Candy Crunch. It’s a puzzle as to why one of the biggest names in game development remains unattached to any major franchise, developer, or publisher 6 months after announcing his retirement from studio that helped make him famous. 

It may be that the ever changing world of gaming platforms has prompted Cliff to take a wait-and-see approach, stating “I have a lot of respect for Sony and Microsoft, but it’s weird that I see a lot more buzz for the Rift than anything else right now. That’s a sign of something.”

He’s also got some less than glowing reports on Microsoft’s treatment on small developers, “I have a very good relationship with Microsoft, but [there are] a lot of TCRs you’d have to go through, all the stuff you’d have to go through to get your game on Xbox Live Arcade, or even issue updates on; it was a nightmare.” while praising Sony for “…embrac[ing] a lot of that vibe thus far, as far as indie games go and whatnot. I feel like Sony’s really embraced that vibe, and [the] homebrewed and homegrown movement that’s really taken over.”

As for Nintendo, Cliff doesn’t have much to say other than giving a brief explanation for why he’s never developed for their consoles, “They never called. Plain and simple.” Maybe they don’t have your number, Cliff! Why don’t you hit them up on Twitter like you did with Capcom and see if you can make a some magic happen. 

Cliff Bleszinski on next-gen gaming, Oculus Rift and the always-on console [Engadget]