Todd Howard
Encyclopedia
Todd Howard is an American
designer, director
, and producer
. He is currently Game Director
and Executive Producer
for Bethesda Game Studios, where he has led the creation of Fallout 3
and The Elder Scrolls
video game series. GamePro
magazine named him to the Top 20 Most Influential People in Gaming over the last 20 years. He has also been named one of IGN
’s Top Game Creators of All Time.
and Ultima 3 to be inspirations for his future games. He is a 1989 graduate of Emmaus High School
in Emmaus, Pennsylvania
. In 1993, he graduated from The College of William & Mary in Williamsburg
, Virginia
, where he majored in finance despite his desire to create video games, saying "it seemed like the easiest path to get through college". After playing Wayne Gretzky's 3D Hockey
he requested a job from a Bethesda office he encountered each day on his commute from school to home, but was denied.
, the 2008 winner of E3’s Best of Show, and Game of the Year from the Game Developers Choice Awards, The Associated Press, Yahoo, Gamespy, IGN, PC Gamer, and more. Prior to that he led the creation of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
, the 2006 Game of the Year winner from the VGAs, The Associated Press, G4, Computer Gaming World, AIAS, and more. Currently, he is working on the fifth installment of The Elder Scrolls
series, Skyrim
, which was relaesed on November 11, 2011.
His other major credits include Project Leader and Designer of The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind
(2002), Producer and Designer of The Terminator: Future Shock (1995) and SkyNET
(1996), and Project Leader and Designer of The Elder Scrolls Adventures: Redguard
(1998).
He is a frequent speaker at industry events, and his games have been featured in everything from Newsweek
, CNN
, USA Today
, and The Today Show
, to magazine covers worldwide. Howard has stated that Bethesda's philosophy for the Elder Scrolls games is to allow people to "live another life, in another world."
Howard spoke before developers at the 2009 D.I.C.E. Summit
, sharing his three rules of game development:
He also said that developers should ignore demographics and installed base
, and follow their passions, saying “if install base really mattered, we'd all make board games, because there are a lot of tables.”
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
designer, director
Art director
The art director is a person who supervise the creative process of a design.The term 'art director' is a blanket title for a variety of similar job functions in advertising, publishing, film and television, the Internet, and video games....
, and producer
Game producer
A video game producer is the person in charge of overseeing development of a video game.The earliest documented use of the term producer in games was by Trip Hawkins, who established the position when he founded Electronic Arts in 1982...
. He is currently Game Director
Art director
The art director is a person who supervise the creative process of a design.The term 'art director' is a blanket title for a variety of similar job functions in advertising, publishing, film and television, the Internet, and video games....
and Executive Producer
Executive producer
An executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production...
for Bethesda Game Studios, where he has led the creation of Fallout 3
Fallout 3
Fallout 3 is an action role-playing game released by Bethesda Game Studios, and the third major installment in the Fallout series. The game was released in North America, Europe and Australia in October 2008, and in Japan in December 2008 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360...
and The Elder Scrolls
The Elder Scrolls
The Elder Scrolls is a role-playing video game series developed by Bethesda Game Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks.-History:...
video game series. GamePro
GamePro
GamePro Media was a United States gaming media company publishing online and print content on the video game industry, video game hardware, and video game software developed for a video game console , a computer, and/or a mobile device . GamePro Media properties include GamePro magazine and...
magazine named him to the Top 20 Most Influential People in Gaming over the last 20 years. He has also been named one of IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
’s Top Game Creators of All Time.
Early life
Howard was born in Lower Macungie Township, Pennsylvania and developed an interest in computers, particularly video games, at a very young age. He considers WizardryWizardry
Wizardry is a series of computer role-playing games, developed by Sir-Tech, which were highly influential in the development of modern console and computer role playing games. The original Wizardry was a significant influence to early console RPGs, such as Dragon Warrior and Final Fantasy. ...
and Ultima 3 to be inspirations for his future games. He is a 1989 graduate of Emmaus High School
Emmaus High School
Emmaus High School is a public high school located in Emmaus, Pennsylvania, in the United States. The school serves grades 9 through 12 in Pennsylvania's East Penn School District in the Lehigh Valley region of the state....
in Emmaus, Pennsylvania
Emmaus, Pennsylvania
Emmaus is a borough in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is located five miles southwest of Allentown, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley region of the state.The population of Emmaus was 11,313 at the 2000 census...
. In 1993, he graduated from The College of William & Mary in Williamsburg
Williamsburg, Virginia
Williamsburg is an independent city located on the Virginia Peninsula in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of Virginia, USA. As of the 2010 Census, the city had an estimated population of 14,068. It is bordered by James City County and York County, and is an independent city...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, where he majored in finance despite his desire to create video games, saying "it seemed like the easiest path to get through college". After playing Wayne Gretzky's 3D Hockey
Wayne Gretzky's 3D Hockey
Wayne Gretzky's 3D Hockey is a video game developed by Atari Games and released for the arcade in 1996.-Summary:This video game was later ported to the Nintendo 64 console on October 31, 1996, where it was the first-ever 4-player game for the Nintendo 64...
he requested a job from a Bethesda office he encountered each day on his commute from school to home, but was denied.
Bethesda Softworks
Howard joined Bethesda Softworks in 1994. Most recently he was Game Director and Executive Producer of Fallout 3Fallout 3
Fallout 3 is an action role-playing game released by Bethesda Game Studios, and the third major installment in the Fallout series. The game was released in North America, Europe and Australia in October 2008, and in Japan in December 2008 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360...
, the 2008 winner of E3’s Best of Show, and Game of the Year from the Game Developers Choice Awards, The Associated Press, Yahoo, Gamespy, IGN, PC Gamer, and more. Prior to that he led the creation of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is a single-player action role-playing video game developed by Bethesda Game Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks and the Take-Two Interactive subsidiary 2K Games...
, the 2006 Game of the Year winner from the VGAs, The Associated Press, G4, Computer Gaming World, AIAS, and more. Currently, he is working on the fifth installment of The Elder Scrolls
The Elder Scrolls
The Elder Scrolls is a role-playing video game series developed by Bethesda Game Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks.-History:...
series, Skyrim
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is a role-playing video game developed by Bethesda Game Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks. It is the fifth installment in The Elder Scrolls action role-playing video game series, following The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion...
, which was relaesed on November 11, 2011.
His other major credits include Project Leader and Designer of The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind
The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind
The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, often simply referred to as Morrowind, is a single-player computer role-playing game developed by Bethesda Game Studios, and published by Bethesda Softworks and Ubisoft. It is the third installment in The Elder Scrolls series of games, following The Elder Scrolls...
(2002), Producer and Designer of The Terminator: Future Shock (1995) and SkyNET
SkyNET
SkyNET, known as The Terminator: SkyNET in Europe, is a computer game based on the Terminator film series. It was originally an expansion, and became the sequel to The Terminator: Future Shock, also developed by Bethesda Softworks....
(1996), and Project Leader and Designer of The Elder Scrolls Adventures: Redguard
The Elder Scrolls Adventures: Redguard
The Elder Scrolls Adventures: Redguard is an action-adventure game developed and published by Bethesda Softworks with a third person style, set in the world of The Elder Scrolls. The game takes place in Tamriel in the year 864 of the Second Era, some 400 years prior to the events of Arena and the...
(1998).
He is a frequent speaker at industry events, and his games have been featured in everything from Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
, CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
, USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
, and The Today Show
The Today Show
Today is an iconic American morning news and talk show airing every morning on NBC. Debuting on January 14, 1952, it was the first of its genre on American television and in the world. The show is also the fourth-longest running American television series...
, to magazine covers worldwide. Howard has stated that Bethesda's philosophy for the Elder Scrolls games is to allow people to "live another life, in another world."
Howard spoke before developers at the 2009 D.I.C.E. Summit
D.I.C.E. Summit
D.I.C.E. Summit is an annual multi-day gathering of video game executives held in Las Vegas, Nevada. Established in 2002 by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences, the conference is host to the annual Entertainment Software Association's Interactive Achievement Awards...
, sharing his three rules of game development:
- Great games are played not made. – "You can have the greatest design document ever made, and you're going to change 90 percent of it as soon as you play the game."
- Keep it simple. – Doing something really well takes time, more time than you think it will. Simple systems acting together create complexity that players can appreciate.
- Define the experience - "Don't define your game by a list of bullet points... define it by the experience you want people to have."
He also said that developers should ignore demographics and installed base
Installed base
Installed base or installed user base is a measure of the number of units of a particular type of system—usually a computing platform—actually in use, as opposed to market share, which only reflects sales over a particular period. Because installed base includes machines that may have been in use...
, and follow their passions, saying “if install base really mattered, we'd all make board games, because there are a lot of tables.”