In the pages of this outlet, Cliff Bleszinski is known for many things. He is recognized for his pivotal work at Epic Games, the creation of the Gears of War franchise, and the development of LawBreakers. He is also known for his candid, and sometimes questionable, assessments of where LawBreakers went wrong.
His tastes and general demeanor have led many to categorize him as a 'bro.' This label is usually applied with less venom than when we use the term for our modern tech overlords in 2026. All in all, he was not the kind of guy I would have figured to be the producer on a Tony Award-winning musical and a two-character anti-romcom about older, working-class people finding love amid a one-night stand.
Well, more fool me. It turns out ol' CliffyB is exactly that.
From Boss Key Studios to Broadway
In a recent post on Bluesky, Standard Issue Computing took the time to remind everyone of a surprising chapter in Bleszinski’s career. After the death of LawBreakers and the closure of his studio, Boss Key Productions, Bleszinski invested time and capital into Hadestown.
Hadestown is a glitzy stage show that blends the stories of Orpheus and Eurydice with those of Hades and Persephone. While I cannot personally vouch for the quality of the show—I get overwhelmingly embarrassed when people start singing—I understand it is quite good.
Bleszinski was rather chuffed about the gig back in the day. In tweets preserved by Variety, he announced his involvement with the show thusly:
"Cross your fingers for me. This could be a dream gig I’ve had since [I was] a kid."
He has returned to the show multiple times on social media since then. In 2021, he posted on Instagram alongside a shot of himself outside New York's Walter Kerr Theatre, where the show was then being staged (in fact, it still is). He wrote:
"Was such an honor to be involved with this amazing show and it was a much needed win after my game studio cratered."
Last August, he celebrated Hadestown's 2000th performance with the caption: "So honored to be a tiny part of this magical production."
A Broadway Success Story
Hadestown crushed the 2019 Tony Awards, nabbing eight trophies including Best Musical. It seems Bleszinski's involvement caught someone's eye, because he was subsequently co-produced a production of Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune.
The production starred Michael Shannon and Audra McDonald and was nominated for two Tonys:
- Best Revival of a Play
- Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play (for McDonald)
Bleszinski has been less chatty about that one, but did tell GameSpot that getting his name in the playbill was "thrilling."
The Man Behind the Mask
I only tell you this because I have been rather pleased to learn about this Cliff Bleszinski B-plot I was hitherto unaware of. It simply doesn't fit with my mental image of the man—a criticism of my limited imagination more than of Bleszinski himself.
I must confess I am delighted to learn about this secret character arc he has apparently been on. A game developer is like an onion: you just keep pulling back one fascinating layer after another.
