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Ryan Cleven, multiplayer director of Gears of War 4 and Gears 5, has announced his departure from The Coalition (via Comic Book).
I hope you're enjoying Operation 3: Gridiron. It's been my favourite to work on and is closer to how I wished we'd launched. It's also my last with TC & Gears. Due to personal issues, I'll be going on sabbatical indefinitely. Thanks for joining me on this journey. See you online. pic.twitter.com/j8uev2RBOS
— Ryan Cleven (@nodezero) March 31, 2020
Operation 3: Gridiron was Cleven’s favourite feature of the series to work on, and he said that the operation is “closer to how I wished we’d launched” the multiplayer mode of Gears 5. In his post published to Twitter, he expressed that the “last six years have been amazing,” with the previous two Gears of War games as the “highlight[s] of [his] development career.” Yet, it seems that Cleven will be taking time to rest and relax rather than moving on to a new position at a new company.
“Due to personal issues, I can’t continue to work the way that I have, I need time for myself,” he explained. “With the departure of my mentor, Rod Fergusson, it’s given me an opportunity to reevaluate my priorities. While I will forever miss Gears, it’s time to pass the torch.” Clevens thanked the game’s community for their support and his fellow team members for their collaborative efforts. It is hoped that the developer gets the time off that he needs, especially given the current global circumstances.
Gears 5 is out now for PC and Xbox One.
