Cliff Bleszinski, the creative force behind the Gears of War series, found an unlikely path to redemption after the closure of his studio, Boss Key Productions, by becoming a co-producer of the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical Hadestown. The musical, which blends the myths of Orpheus and Eurydice with Hades and Persephone, earned 14 Tony nominations and won eight awards in 2019, including Best Musical.
From LawBreakers to Broadway
Bleszinski's journey began with the launch of LawBreakers in 2017, a hero shooter that received positive reviews but failed to compete with Blizzard's Overwatch. Despite critical acclaim, the game struggled financially. "Blizzard came along and just completely stomped pretty much everyone else, including us and Gearbox's Battleborn," Bleszinski said. "The amount of hero shooters that came and went is just ridiculous."
The failure of LawBreakers led to a desperate attempt to pivot with Radical Heights, an 80s-themed battle royale game released in early access. However, the game lacked cheat protection, and hackers quickly ruined the experience. When Fortnite servers went down, streamer Ninja briefly boosted Radical Heights, but the momentum was short-lived. Boss Key Productions shut down in summer 2018.
Finding a New Creative Outlet
After the studio closure, Bleszinski felt broken and retreated from the public eye. "It ultimately broke me, and it made it even worse that the internet thought the entire thing was hilarious," he said. A social media friendship with Alex Boniello, an actor from Dear Evan Hansen, led to the suggestion that Bleszinski consider producing Hadestown. Bleszinski, a self-described drama nerd with a tattoo reading "comedy and tragedy" in tribute to ancient Greek theater, was intrigued.
He listened to an early recording of Hadestown and was captivated by its jazz and folk sound. "I was like: 'They might really have something here,'" Bleszinski said. He signed on as a co-producer, providing funding and leveraging his gaming audience to promote the show.
Parallels Between Games and Musicals
Bleszinski sees similarities between video game development and Broadway productions. Both involve previews and tweaks — "essentially an alpha or a beta where they modify or rearrange parts of the musical," he said. "It all has to come together in this perfectly synced thing." Hadestown opened on Broadway in April 2019 and was praised for its originality in a landscape dominated by movie adaptations.
The musical's success felt like redemption for Bleszinski. In the final moments, Orpheus turns to see Eurydice, causing her to be lost again. The show's message — to continue fighting despite failure — resonated deeply. "It felt like redemption," Bleszinski said. "I felt like Orpheus, and I didn't turn around."
