Howard Says

For all long as the Fallout franchise has been around, it has never been set outside of the United States. Of course, its over-the-top, retro-futuristic Americana satirization is a core aspect of what makes Fallout, Fallout, but on new few occasions, large chunks of the series’ fanbase have wondered how locations outside of the US are faring in Fallout’s post-apocalyptic setting, and whether they could fare as suitable settings for a future Fallout game.

Bethesa’s RPGs are typically gargantuan experiences that players end up playing for years and years on end, and while a lot of that is down to their sheer longevity, it can also be attributed to the fact that new instalments in those franchises take an inordinate amount of time to come out. For instance, The Elder Scrolls 6 only entered full production last year, with Skyrim approaching its 13th anniversary. Meanwhile, though the Fallout TV’s show’s success has brought about a sudden uptick in sales and engagement for Bethesda’s Fallout games, the series’ next mainline instalment is several years away, to say the very least.

Todd Howard says Bethesda is working on getting games into players' hands more quickly.

Baldur's Gate 3 launched last year to widespread acclaim, and you can count Mr. Skyrim, Starfield, and The Elder Scrolls 6 himself to its many admirers.

With all things Fallout now enjoying a significant boost following the breakout success of the Fallout TV show, Fallout 76 is enjoying a significant rise in player numbers. Last week, Bethesda announced that Fallout 76, its most recent mainline Fallout game, saw over one million people play in a single day.

Wow, remember Starfield? I do, just about, although any interest in it feels like a distant dream now. But not to Todd Howard! The Bethesboss had a chat with Kinda Funny and confirmed that Shattered Space, the first big DLC for the brave little space RPG that could, has a release window of "in the fall". Shattered Space adds new locations and stories and gear, and is the sort of DLC that was announced before the game came out, and you got it bundled with some of the super mega hyper awesome pre-order editions (you can still get it bundled with the Starfield Premium Edition if you want to spend an extra 30 quid).

Every Fallout game, dating back to the original in 1997, has been set in America. We've gone from New California to the Capital Wasteland to The Commonwealth, but never outside the USA.

Bethesa’s RPGs are typically gargantuan experiences that players end up playing for years and years on end, and while a lot of that is down to their sheer longevity, it can also be attributed to the fact that new instalments in those franchises take an inordinate amount of time to come out. For instance, The Elder Scrolls 6 only entered full production last year, with Skyrim approaching its 13th anniversary. Meanwhile, though the Fallout TV’s show’s success has brought about a sudden uptick in sales and engagement for Bethesda’s Fallout games, the series’ next mainline instalment is several years away, to say the very least.

Todd Howard has said Bethesda is working on solutions to shorten the length of time between its game releases.

Spoilers for the Fallout series.

Todd Howard has assured Fallout fans that the franchise's recently-released TV show does not contradict the games' pre-established lore.

Everyone is flocking back to the Wasteland thanks to the new Fallout TV series, but Bethesda's focus is still squarely on Starfield right now.

Todd Howard says Bethesda is doing "a lot" of work on Starfield, and you'll see the result "soon." 

Bethesda Game Studios has promised some significant updated for Starfield in 2024, from “new ways” of travelling to new gameplay features to the launch of its first expansion, Shattered Steel. Thus far, however, more than a quarter of our way into the year, details on those updates have remained scant, even if the space RPG has received a couple of patches.

The Fallout TV series is finally here and it's already being hailed as one of the best video game adaptations to date, which has plenty wondering if other Bethesda properties will make a similar leap to the world of streaming.

Todd Howard says that a Fallout TV show has been in talks for 16 years and that its producers are so focused on accuracy that they're "sweating every pixel."

Barely containing his inner nerd as he lifted the curtain on the gameplay reveal for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Todd Howard explains that he's had almost everything about the game, down to granular plot points, planned out for years. 

Bethesda director Todd Howard has revealed that everything in the Fallout TV show is canon. . 

Starfield director Todd Howard has said that Starfield was intentionally made to be played for a long time.

Bethesda boss Todd Howard reckons many games are some sort of RPG nowadays, which is partly why Starfield doubles down on the studio's classical role-playing style to stand out in the crowd.

Bethesda boss Todd Howard says Starfield was designed and built for longevity, even more so than RPGs like Skyrim or any of the modern Fallouts, with the studio already considering how the game will evolve for years and years to come. 

Starfield was extensively playtested by Bethesda devs often working from home, and Todd Howard says this approach worked so well that the studio's going to apply the method to its future games, with the studio's next confirmed, albeit far-off project obviously being The Elder Scrolls 6.

I've walked on nearly 200 different planets in Starfield in environments ranging from frozen tundra to baking infernos to toxic atmospheres. And in all that time I've only suffered one affliction that I felt a need to rush to a doctor to fix: I contracted a lung condition that eventually got so bad it made sprinting consume my oxygen supply in a matter of seconds, and I didn't have the meds to cure it myself.

Bethesda is known for making big, blockbuster RPGs—but Starfield's space combat was a totally new frontier for the team. I've personally found a decent bit of fun in zipping around and knocking pirates out of the sky, even if it's clearly not the game's main focus. I don't envy the devs saddled with the task of balancing dogfights in space.

If you are bummed that planet exploration in Starfield is not as challenging as expected, Bethesda originally planned to make the system much more punitive, according to the game's director.

Starfield's planets were originally supposed to be much more punishing for players, that is until Bethesda "nerfed the hell out of it," reveals Todd Howard.

For reasons I won't get into here because it may constitute a little bit of a spoiler, the planet Earth in Starfield is a bit of a wasteland. But what if it was The Wasteland—that is, the post-nuclear hellscape of Bethesda's other big sci-fi-ish game series, Fallout? In an interview with The Washington Post, creative director Todd Howard said developers actually gave thought to the idea.

Starfield director Todd Howard has spoken about plans for the game that didn’t make the final cut, including the idea for a very neat Fallout reference. 

Bethesda exec Todd Howard has claimed that Fallout 76’s troubled launch ultimately helped the studio’s developers become better judges of when their games are actually ready to be released.

Bethesda’s Todd Howard has discussed the benefits of Starfield being an Xbox console exclusive.

«When you're making something exclusive then the more you can focus.»

Starfield's game director Todd Howard has said that some players may find the ending «controversial.»

Bethesda was acquired by Microsoft in 2021, which resulted in both Redfall and Starfield's Xbox exclusivity. Many have taken this to mean that The Elder Scrolls 6 and, when it eventually launches, Fallout 5 will also be Xbox exclusive, to much disappointment and even backlash. However, Todd Howard argues that this is good for the company and its games.

The director of Starfield, Todd Howard, has defended the game’s Xbox Series X|S console exclusivity, and has stated that exclusive games are always “a better product”. 

Starfield's barren planets are intentionally boring, reveals Bethesda.

Todd Howard seems to be in a wordy mood as Starfield finally launches after eight years of development and even more concepting. Just yesterday the Bethesda boss sent a victory lap letter to Xbox and Zenimax staff, and Howard also shared a message with reviewers – who've now given the game largely positive scores, with our own Starfield review giving it the highest score we can – acknowledging the fears behind the RPG's production. 

Bethesda hasn't said much about the new Indiana Jones game in the works at Wolfenstein developer MachineGames since its announcement a few years ago, but studio boss Todd Howard maintains that work on the game is going great.

Bethesda is known for delivering some truly remarkable RPGs. While known for The Elder Scrolls and Fallout, their next game is actually a brand new IP. Starfield has recently been in so many headlines as we approach its release date. But that hasn’t stopped some fans from wondering what is around the corner after Starfield. We know that Bethesda is bringing out the next The Elder Scrolls video game. However, details about what The Elder Scrolls 6 will bring are being kept secret. 

In a new interview, Starfield director Todd Howard it took quite some time for the studio to find the fun in its epic sci-fi RPG.

The Elder Scrolls VI is setting out to be a game like very few others, judging from a recent statement from Bethesda's Todd Howard.

Gamescom's Opening Night Live showcase kicked off with a brand-new live action trailer for Starfield and an appearance by game director Todd Howard, who said that despite everything we've been shown so far, there are still «a lot of surprises» in store.