No, Cliff Bleszinski is not dead. Far from it. But his nickname, “CliffyB”, is no more.

Speaking with MTV Multiplayer, Cliffy… err… Cliff let it be known to the world that he no longer wants to be called “CliffyB”, saying that it’s “time to grow up a bit”. Bleszinski first coined the nickname, which became an instant hit with fans and industry insiders alike (perhaps for being infinitely easier to spell than “Bleszinski”) right around the time of the first Unreal Tournament. Now, in his 30s and working on Gears of War 2, Bleszinski wants to nove on from the nickname and mature a bit.

While I can respect his desire to be taken more maturely, as somebody who has to report the workings of Cliff and co., I can say… you suck, Mr. Bleszinski. The only reason I’m saying your name so much in this story is so that I can fucking remember how to spell it, you son of a bitch… kidding on the hostility, of course. But I’m serious when I say that CliffyB is a whole hell of a lot easier than “Bleszinski”.

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