Epic design director Cliff Bleszinski has admitted to being shocked by the acquisition of id Software by Bethesda parent ZeniMax.

In an interview with Develop, the Gears Of War designer compares the move to 3D Realms’ recent abandonment of Duke Nukem Forever. “To see the old standbys go through these kinds of changes...it’s really shocking,” he says. “We all came from the same mould from the shareware days; these studios have been around forever, and to see them acquired like that is a surprise.”

He does, however, predict positive results for id in the long term. “It will add stability, it will help them leverage their properties more; but in the meantime it’s so surreal. As they say, the one constant is change.”

Asked whether Epic itself might succumb to such a bid, he implies that if it did happen, it wouldn’t be for financial reasons. “We’re doing fine as is right now. The Unreal Engine is extremely prolific, Gears is a success and I’ve got like five projects going on right now, all a guarantee that we’ll keep the lights on for years to come.”