The Kinda Funny Games podcast invited the boss and creative director of Bethesda Game Studios, Todd Howard, as a guest. Together with the host, Howard discussed the studio's upcoming and current projects.
What's up with Starfield?
The first topic of discussion was Starfield, as rumors about a major update for the space RPG have been circulating online for quite some time. They say it's supposed to seriously overhaul the game.
According to Howard, due to the second season of Fallout, the team has been too busy with content for Fallout 76 in recent months. And since that's no longer necessary, news about Starfield will start appearing soon.
However, it seems we shouldn't expect anything mind-blowing — especially the so-called "Starfield 2.0" update.
It's not Starfield 2.0. I've seen the talk about it — let's set the record straight right away: if you're a Starfield fan, you'll probably like the upcoming update. We're rethinking the game, adding things that change it not just in spots, but on a meta-level, using space and other aspects in ways we haven't tried before. But if you didn't like Starfield from the start, found it a bit boring — this update is unlikely to change your mind.
Support for Starfield won't end after this update, the director assured.
Development of The Elder Scrolls VI
If we believe Howard, The Elder Scrolls VI is "doing well" — most of the studio and partner teams are working on it. The title will remain in production for "some time yet."
Under the hood of the new "Scrolls" is not the Creation Engine 2 that powers Starfield, but Creation Engine 3 — the team spent two years modernizing the engine. According to the director, the new solution will offer many technical innovations that will allow "seeing the smallest details up close."
And although the game's engine is fresh, it's being created in a more classic Bethesda RPG style.
Our games have always evolved. We have a signature style that we and our fans love, and we want to keep improving it. In my opinion, Fallout 76 and Starfield were a kind of creative deviation from that classic formula used to create Skyrim, Oblivion, Fallout 3, and Fallout 4, where the world is explored in a certain, familiar way.
Working on The Elder Scrolls VI, we're returning to that style — to what we ourselves have missed and what we do best.
Recall, the game was announced back in 2018. Howard reiterated that he himself wouldn't have announced TES VI so early. If it were solely up to him, the Bethesda boss would only talk about games on their release day. "For me, that's the ideal scenario. But it's not always possible to do that," said Todd.
How's Fallout doing?
Several interesting statements were made on this topic:
- Bethesda is working on several Fallout projects. If rumors are to be believed, one of them is a remaster of Fallout 3.
- Fallout 76 had a rough start, but it still managed to gain popularity. Howard himself admitted that among all the games in the franchise, he is most proud of Fallout 76.
- Fallout Shelter is the most popular game in the lineup. The total audience of the mobile project exceeds that of all other Fallout games combined.
Other Topics
- Howard noted that after the great success of the Oblivion remaster, he has warmed up to the idea of refreshing games. However, his opinion on remakes hasn't changed — a game's age is an integral part of it, so the Bethesda boss prefers remakes more.
- Leaks about upcoming releases spoil the announcement moment, which developers might have been preparing for years, Howard believes: "Because you want that game, that moment to be special for the fans and for the studio. And leaks... they often spoil that magic or pull out some detail that everyone then starts discussing, misunderstanding it." However, the director doesn't think insider information harms the success of games.
- Bethesda is cautious about AI and doesn't consider it a fleeting trend. For now, AI tools are seen as a way to analyze data related to the studio's games. Neural networks can help with tasks that require processing a lot of data — this saves time to focus more on creativity. "We don't use AI to generate content. Artistic vision is the foundation of everything we do and, I'm sure, other developers do. You can't go anywhere without it," Howard believes.
- The director stated that lately he hasn't been thinking about how many more games he has to make. He enjoys working at the studio and communicating with colleagues. Howard has been building his career for over 30 years, but he doesn't feel like that much time has passed at all.
- Currently, Todd Howard is playing the puzzle roguelike Drop Duchy and the multiplayer game EA Sports College Football 26.