In the gaming industry, several individual developers are well known by both gamers and other game developers as well as others. Todd Howard does. He was The Elder Scrolls and Fallout studio Bethesda For more than 30 years, he has led the development of legendary titles as its game director and executive producer. Oblivion, Skyrim, Fallout 3and Fallout 4among others.
To say his impact on the industry has been massive is an understatement – but it’s not innocent. It’s a point Dennis Mejillones, former Bethesda lead artist known for his work on Skyrim, Fallout 4and Xbox Starfielddid in a recently unearthed interview with Kiwi Talkz.
Article continues below
Because Todd Howard is a popular gamer who is mostly respected, unfortunately he sometimes has trouble with the “yes men”. His friend and former colleague Dennis Mejillones puts it well: “A lot of people are afraid to say no to Todd, and that hurts him.” More like… pic.twitter.com/rjoJl3PfjuApril 2, 2026
This is pretty interesting to hear from one of Howard’s former colleagues, and given that Mejillones worked at Bethesda for 11 years from 2009 to 2021, it’s safe to say he’s 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. Fallout 76 and Starfield, and if their controversial qualities – such as the latter’s controversial lack of satisfactory depth – could have been improved if the developers had given Howard’s ideas more critical feedback and refined them.
Still, Kurt Kuhlmann, former Bethesda lore expert and Skyrim boss, said earlier this year. PC Gamer Howard noted that Starfield’s development suffered when he couldn’t focus on the game, noting that “he’s going to really hurt the game when he’s away from it.”
Ultimately, Howard sounds like a “very good project lead” whose presence is very helpful, even if Bethesda’s developers could stand to give him more constructive feedback instead of agreeing with him all the time. From the outside, it’s hard to say for sure – especially since it’s the opinion of two people who worked at a very large studio.
With all that said, I hope Howard’s calls are met with healthy scrutiny going forward, because without criticism, you risk ending up in an echo chamber of toxic positivity. Quality, honest feedback is critical to improving and refining ideas, and I want them The Elder Scrolls 6 and Fallout 5 should be as elegant as possible.
🗨️ To you!
Mejillones’ comments in this interview are very interesting, and Todd Howard’s suggestions may not receive a healthy pushback and constructive feedback from Bethesda’s developers. Can’t help but wonder how much of an impact this could have Fallout 76 and Starfield as well if applicable proactively Influences the creation of The Elder Scrolls 6.
Are you worried about having it? We’d love to hear from you, so share your thoughts in the comments and vote in our poll on Bethesda’s various IPs.
Join us Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your thoughts and discuss our latest news, reviews and more.
