The details on Cliff Bleszinski's new venture with his Boss Key Productions continue to trickle out. Project Bluestreak is going to be a free-to-play shooter developed with an open approach and community involvement. Korean free-to-play giants Nexon have invested money in Boss Key Productions for a minority share and will have exclusive publishing and marketing rights for the game worldwide.
"Cliff is one of the most innovative and renowned game designers of our time, and his reputation for creating genre-defining games that inspire a dedicated fan base is well-earned," said Owen Mahoney, president and chief executive officer, Nexon. "Players across the world have eagerly awaited Cliff's next move, and we're delighted to partner with Boss Key to bring the next generation of first-person shooters to market. Cliff shares our unwavering commitment to delivering players the absolute highest-quality game-play experience."
"Creating fun and memorable shooters is in my DNA, and making the move to free-to-play games is all about maximizing the potential audience for your title while embracing where the industry is headed," said Bleszinski, founder and chief executive officer, Boss Key. "No one knows the free-to-play market better than Nexon, which is why they were the obvious partner to publish BlueStreak. It's a game and concept I think will really resonate with players who have been clamoring for a new take on an old favorite. After all, I've had a year and a half to plan it."
So in essence, Bleszinski seems to be mirroring a lot of what his former employees at Epic Games are doing with the new Unreal Tournament, with perhaps the biggest difference being that Project Bluestreak is going to be free-to-play whereas the new Unreal Tournament will be free. Of course, Project Bluestreak could be a shooter that's not at all like Unreal Tournament.