Bethesda's Todd Howard no longer thinks about retirement

Todd Howard may not stop making Elder Scrolls or Fallout games any time soon.

2

Xbox is resetting its business, laying off 3,200 workers this fiscal year alone--half of which are being let go now. To distract from the massive industry culling from one of gaming's Big 3 platform-holders, Bethesda revealed its project roadmap, confirming four new Fallout games are in development. We've seen senior staff take voluntary retirement packages as part of Xbox's layoffs, but it sounds like Bethesda's Todd Howard is here to stay and has no plans to actually retire.

As part of the press junket for the new Fallout announcements, Bloomberg's Jason Schreier interviewed Todd Howard about the topic of retirement. Howard essentially says that he used to think about what that would look like, but no longer does, presumably because he's so absorbed in the world of gaming (and also possibly because Xbox really needs him right now).

"The truth is, there was a period of time a while back where I pondered 'what does retirement look like?' Not as imminent, just what does it look like? And I no longer do," Howard told Schreier in the interview.

"I see the work we're doing, I just love it, I love working with these people. It's just not something I think about. Some folks in our industry that are a little older than me that are just making some great stuff too. So it's not something I've been thinking about."

This isn't to say that Bethesda doesn't have a succession plan--they probably do, in some capacity, but that strategy could easily be torn asunder by Xbox's 3,200-person layoffs.

Frequently Asked Questions

TweakBot answers common questions about this news using TweakTown's own coverage from this page and related content from our archive. Tap a question to reveal the answer, or type your own below.

Question #1

Does the article indicate whether Bethesda has a succession plan amid Xbox layoffs?

Click to reveal answer

Question #2

How many Xbox layoffs does the article say are planned for this fiscal year?

Click to reveal answer

Question #3

Did the article mention any collaboration between Bethesda and Obsidian on a Fallout project?

Click to reveal answer

Have a question not listed here? Ask below and TweakBot will answer it.

Your questionAsk

Answering your question×

TweakBot is analyzing your question…

Could not get an answer

TweakBot is generating an answer

Read More

Was TweakBot helpful?Thanks for the feedback!

The studio is currently working on a number of projects, including 4 new Fallout games (Fallout 5, remasters of Fallout 3 and New Vegas, and a new game with Obsidian), The Elder Scrolls VI, and new content for The Elder Scrolls Online and Fallout 76.