Ex-Bethesda dev on Fallout and Skyrim says Todd Howard has too many yes men around him — "A lot of people were afraid to say no to Todd, and I think that hurt him"

Few individual developers in the gaming industry are as well-known by both players as well as other game devs as well ass Todd Howard is. He's been at The Elder Scrolls and Fallout studio Bethesda for over 30 years, and as its game director and executive producer, has led development on legendary titles like Oblivion, Skyrim, Fallout 3, and Fallout 4, among others.

To say that his influence on the industry is massive is an understatement — but that hardly means he's infallible. It's a point that former Bethesda senior artist Dennis Mejillones, known for his work on Skyrim, Fallout 4, and Xbox's Starfield, made in a recently dug up interview with Kiwi Talkz.

"He's a phenomenal person. Is he perfect? No. Does he call all the shots perfectly? No," Mejillones said of Howard. "I can't tell you how many times I told Todd, 'Oh, that's not a good idea, that's bad, that's not good.' Or, I kind of kept my mouth shut about it. I'm like, 'Eugh, I don't think that's so great,' you know?"

Mejillones went on to explain that in most cases, he would share his criticism of Howard's ideas or strategies with him to provide feedback. According to him, though, many others tend to be "yes men" around him, and don't challenge his direction because they don't want to seem like they're opposing a legendary developer.

"Typically, though, I would communicate if I felt really strongly about it, you know? Me and Todd could at least communicate — a lot of people were afraid to say no to Todd, and I think that hurt him," he said. "It's like George Lucas. I think George Lucas is a genius. I think geniuses come up with terrible ideas too. They're not all gonna be hits, but if you don't have somebody to help you filter through these things and give you an honest assessment because they're afraid to tell you what they really think, it actually does hurt you. And I think that kinda happens to Todd in some regards."

That's quite an interesting take to hear from one of Howard's former colleagues, and considering the fact that Mejillones worked at Bethesda for 11 years from 2009 to 2021, it's safe to say that he's likely seen countless examples of these yes man tendencies from employees at the studio.

Hearing this, I can't help but wonder about Bethesda's recent, more controversial games like Fallout 76 and Starfield, and if their contentious qualities — the arguable lack of satisfying depth in the latter, for example — might have been improved if devs gave more critical feedback of Howard's ideas and drove refinement.

Then again, earlier this year, former Bethesda lore specialist and Skyrim co-lead Kurt Kuhlmann told PC Gamer that Starfield's development suffered when Howard wasn't able to focus on the game, noting that "when he would get pulled away from the game that would really hurt the game."

Ultimately, it sounds like Howard is a "very good project lead" whose presence is very beneficial, even if Bethesda's devs could perhaps stand to give him more constructive feedback instead of just agreeing with him all the time. From the outside looking in, though, it's hard to say anything for sure — especially since these are the views of just two people who've worked at a very large studio.

With all of that said, I do hope Howard's calls are met with a healthy amount of scrutiny moving forward, as without criticism, you risk getting caught in an echo chamber of toxic positivity. Quality, honest feedback is crucial for refining and improving ideas, and I want The Elder Scrolls 6 and Fallout 5 to be as refined as they can be.

🗨️ Over to you!

The comments from Mejillones in this interview are very interesting, and suggest that Todd Howard's suggestions may not be getting a healthy amount of pushback and constructive feedback from Bethesda's developers. One can't help but wonder how much that may have influenced Fallout 76 and Starfield, as well as if it's actively influencing the creation of The Elder Scrolls 6.

Are you worried that it is? I'd like to hear from you, so share your take in the comments and vote in our poll about Bethesda's various IPs.

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