My rant on Todd Howard.

[Daniel The NCR Veteran]

Todd has the final say during development and also he's just a greasy little toad of a man whose ego, brittle from years of high school bullying, has overtaken him so he overcompensates with designer jackets, nice shoes, and trying to convince people that he's friends with people who are more successful than he is.

Even in the Oblivion interview, he says "Who's laughing now" to his highschool bullies as an attempt to make them feel bad because he's finally had his moment in the sun, but then looks off to the side sadly, realizing he's already peaked and it's all downhill from here. In a desperate clutch to hang onto that glory, he shills and he shills, trying to convince people that YES! this next game WILL make you feel as amazed as when you played Oblivion for that first time! So he exaggerates, makes things up, anything to make potential customers feel like they're going to get this amazing, immersive, do-anything, go-anywhere, be-anyone experience that will stimulate parts of your imagination you thought you'd lost as a child. But it's not true, none of it is true.

Eventually he starts getting called out to the point where it becomes a meme. A well known gaming channel makes a Fleetwood Mac music video out of him, basically doing nothing but ridiculing him for being little more than a sidewalk bootleg DVD salesman, promising quality but delivering none, even using the clips of him in his one truly golden moment, the one time he finally got that one up on everyone who made fun of him, everyone who doubted him.
But that just makes him realize...nothing has changed. He's still that scrawny little twerp failure he's always been, and no amount of nice leather jackets can cover that up. Except now it's not just a few kids at school. It's tens, hundreds of thousands of people that he thought actually liked him and admired him. He realizes all that "God Howard" shit was just a farce and that he bought into it 100% just like people time and time again bought into his lies. The tables have been turned and there's no going back.

Desperate to be anything but that kid he was in school, he starts sucking up to the lowest common denominator of the video game market; mobile gamers and 11 year olds. "Guys...Elder Scrolls mobile! Guys...Fallout Fortnite!" But it's too late. The games aren't selling anyways, and he's burned bridges with all those people who used to see his name as a seal of quality. Todd is once again, a failure.

But - he sees an opportunity. He's going to be on the same stage as Elon Musk, being interviewed by Geoff Keighley! Geoff is a respected interviewer and host, and Elon is beloved by all. It's sure to be a great chance to gain face.
At the interview, Todd desperately tries to convince Geoff and the audience that he and Elon are buddies. Todd jumps the gun, quickly sputtering about how they're friends, gushing about Elon, as Elon sits in awkward silence, doing little more than uncomfortably shifting in his seat and giving Todd sideways glances that say "I'm going to be molested today, aren't I?" But it's all in vain. Everyone's seen time and time again how Todd tries to embellish himself and everything he's involved with blatant lies, and Elon Musk has done all but tell Todd to fuck off to his face. Todd, defeated, walks backstage and hangs his head. He's finally accepted that no matter what he does, he will ALWAYS...be that scrawny little dork from the chess club that nobody believes in.

Who's laughing now, Todd?
WHO'S LAUGHING NOW?

 

[TheHouseAlwaysWins]

I don't get the point of this rant really. I mean todd is just one guy in a big business. It's not like he's trying to streamline their IP's to intentionally make gamers really angry. It's just the way the system of capital works in actuality. Based on Todd's rhetoric, it seems in my opinion that part of Todd's job is to advertise Bethesda's products.

basically doing nothing but ridiculing him for being little more than a sidewalk bootleg DVD salesman

a sidewalk salesman that's a multi millionaire yes. I wouldn't mind being a millionaire because then I would be successful.

 

[Deleted member 116891]

It's fairly typical. You do something new or better than others (or that most people see as new or better than others) -first modern/3D Fallout-massive open world fantasy games, and you become rich, famous and respected.

Then you need to keep riding that level of success, but you can't without a new idea, or a good way to update your existing idea. If you can't do that, you have to jump on other's bandwagons. But that idea only creates success if you manage to improve the formula or take it in a different direction (and so far, only Fortnite has really done this to its BR predecessors, or Witcher 3 among others to Beth's games)

Basically, Bethesda had a great idea, or at least good selling points, a decade ago (especially to those who never played daggerfall, morrowind, or FO1 or F02.) Others have improved their formula and they are no longer the masters of it. Until they have something that they believe will return them to mastery of a specific idea or type of game, they will continue to utilise their IP's in a way that guarantees them the most cash with minimal effort. (see Elder Scrolls Blades or F076.) Or they'll just crash. Here's to hoping.

I just wish I could buy some of their published efforts in good conscience.

Do wanna try out nu-wolfenstein and nu-Doom, but don't fancy giving beth money for them.

don't get the point of this rant really. I mean todd is just one guy in a big business

He was game director for many of the games. Many of the creative flaws we see in them can thus be blamed at least partially on him.

a sidewalk salesman that's a multi millionaire yes. I wouldn't mind being a millionaire because then I would be successful.

Think most of us wouldn't mind being that too. Many would also choose to sell our souls creatively as well. But since we aren't, we can have a justified rant about how his success is based on bad games and people eating them up.

 

[KingArthur]

@TheOtherManInTheRoom I actually haven’t played much nu-Doom, but Wolfenstein: The New Order is unironically one of my favorite FPS games ever made.

Youngblood looks like trash though and between that and the paywall controversy I’m gonna guess that The New Colossus is gonna go down as the last good Wolf game.

 

[Daniel The NCR Veteran]

but Wolfenstein: The New Order is unironically one of my favorite FPS games ever made.

Not even unironically, the game is a masterpiece and no one should be ashamed of having it as one of their favorites.

 

[Daniel The NCR Veteran]

a sidewalk salesman that's a multi millionaire yes. I wouldn't mind being a millionaire because then I would be successful.

He's a shell of himself, everyone makes fun of him and to be honest, money doesn't buy you happiness. I don't believe Todd Howard is sleeping easy at night knowing nobody will like him as much as other people like Elon Musk or Keanu Reeves, he's a literal meme/stooge. The bad joke every got but him. He might be rich, he knows he's rich, he's showing off that he's rich and that he has "important friends" like Elon... But do you think he's really happy? Do you think he's more than just that failure of a twerp from high-school? No, he's becoming less and less. As I said, he had a moment where he was there, on the top... then from there it all went downhill. He's not part of making any good games that people are gonna play, he's riding bandwagons and making the most money with little effort. Is that what his high-school nerd wanted to become? A soulless shell of a game dev that had a dream but went for the money instead? I doubt it, and I can assure you that neither Todd expected he'd stoop so low. But he has to live with it, it's too late. Way too late, just like how NOW they're adding NPCs to Fallout 76.

He's gone.

 

[Deleted member 116891]

Is that what his high-school nerd wanted to become? A soulless shell of a game dev that had a dream but went for the money instead

Not sure he would quite see it that way. And even if he did, so what? Plenty of people start out wanting to be the next person to conquer their field with ideals and principles and doing things the right way above the most lucrative. And most of them sell out, as it were. They work or run big companies, they get rich at others expense, or they just live dull uneventful lives when they might have been exceptional. This is not unusual.

I'm sure he thinks himself clever or lucky to have exploited a gap in the market and filled it with games that have sold millions. I think that helps him sleep, knowing he can provide for himself and his family. Isn't that what we all want?

'Who's laughing now?' He is, at people who scorn him. Cause he's a big name in a big game developer and we're the suckers who have to live with it, who dream of making a proper Fallout game and buying the IP off Bethesda. But cause we sold out, because we have to eat and live our lives, because we don't have the money, or the game dev experience he has, he's the one laughing. Granted, he's milking the IP's for all they're worth, and even he can see its not going the same wonderful way it used to. But it'll take a few more years before he's gone.

Wolfenstein: The New Order is unironically one of my favorite FPS games ever made.

Yeah, as I say, its something I really want to try. But that involves paying Bethesda, so I'm fighting the urge.

 

[TorontoReign]

Todd Howard is a figurehead. Soulless corporate overlords control these games.

 

[TheHouseAlwaysWins]

He's a shell of himself, everyone makes fun of him and to be honest, money doesn't buy you happiness

LMFAO money for most people would satisfy their materialistic desires and serve as a good stepping stone for their more spiritual needs on an abstract level.

. I don't believe Todd Howard is sleeping easy at night knowing nobody will like him as much as other people like Elon Musk or Keanu Reeves, he's a literal meme/stooge. .

I don't see why you would think the latter two are more respectable than todd is.

The bad joke every got but him. He might be rich, he knows he's rich, he's showing off that he's rich and that he has "important friends" like Elon... But do you think he's really happy? Do you think he's more than just that failure of a twerp from high-school? No, he's becoming less and less.

If he's not happy then he's likely happier than you and I are. If I had that much money I would be a lot more at peace than I am currently. He's not becoming less and less when the products he helped to create have had immense influence.

As I said, he had a moment where he was there, on the top... then from there it all went downhill. He's not part of making any good games that people are gonna play, he's riding bandwagons and making the most money with little effort. Is that what his high-school nerd wanted to become?

Chasing after trends has nothing to do with todd dude this is an industry wide problem relating to how capital is.

A soulless shell of a game dev that had a dream but went for the money instead? I doubt it, and I can assure you that neither Todd expected he'd stoop so low. But he has to live with it, it's too late. Way too late, just like how NOW they're adding NPCs to Fallout 76

He's gone

He's done the same shhtick where he talks about how much of an rpg expert he is by babbling about ultima for years. If I remember right correctly there are multiple interviews where he talks about Ultima to show that he cares about RPGs and then he starts advertising the product.

There are google posts where he advertises Redguard as far back as the 90's. He has to my knowledge always advertised products.

I don't understand the point of your post because Todd IRL is probably a very different person behind the persona.

 

[KingArthur]

Todd talking about being a nerd and saying this probably sums it all up.

 

[BigGuyCIA]

Dadd Howard touched my anus and I sort of didn't like it.

 

[fallout[12]enthusiast]

First he raped Fallout. And now he's pretending to be laughing. Evil sob/son of a bitch.

 

[Mayman]

Yeah, as I say, its something I really want to try. But that involves paying Bethesda, so I'm fighting the urge.

While you are paying Bethesda,you are also supporting ID software,ID is slowly becoming one of my favorite game companies simply because they're honest and they always listen to the fans,Doom Eternal seems fantastic because while they introduce more stuff to Doom,they also pay homage to the classic Doom games,re-imagining old sprites and bringing back some mechanics
I ABSOLUTELY recommend getting Doom/Doom Eternal,yea yea bethesda gets a cut,but its such a small amount of money,and you get to support ID

 

[Deleted member 116891]

While you are paying Bethesda,you are also supporting ID software,ID is slowly becoming one of my favorite game companies simply because they're honest and they always listen to the fans,Doom Eternal seems fantastic because while they introduce more stuff to Doom,they also pay homage to the classic Doom games,re-imagining old sprites and bringing back some mechanics
I ABSOLUTELY recommend getting Doom/Doom Eternal,yea yea bethesda gets a cut,but its such a small amount of money,and you get to support ID

I've bought many an ID game in my time. But I'm trying to get more conscious in my buying habits. I've bought too much stuff from activision/EA/Bethesda/Ubisoft over the years, and that makes me part of the problem.

Complaining about the state of the game industry and the problems within is worthless when you buy the game, thus handing the company the only sign of approval they need-your money.

If I buy one more, why not two? As so the cycle goes, and you become again are a sucker. Best thing to do is not buy anything from Bethesda etc.

 

[Hulk'O'Saurus]

I wonder if it's connected.

 

[Millim]

Yeah, this rant seems kinda aimless.
I dunno if Todd is really a big part to blame here. Yeah, he is director on a lot of these games, but he still has to bend over to over People.
Honestly, he seems like a really chill guy who just allows these ideas to be implemented in his games without knowing if it'll work or not.
I'd say Todd really isn't the problem.

If the leaks were correct, then it's more Pete and Emil who are at fault. Emil is just a very bad and lazy writer while Pete comes across as a tosser.
Yeah, Todd is a dweeb and it's fun to take the piss out of him, but he is far from the problem.
If anything, he needs to say no to more ideas. But he is just some guy who actually wants to just make games.

 

[TheGM]

I’m gonna guess that The New Colossus is gonna go down as the last good Wolf game.

Implying TNC was any good.

 

[KingArthur]

Implying TNC was any good.

I liked it, and it's certainly not bad, imo.

 

[The Dutch Ghost]

I am still convinced that Todd was too dorky for even the school chess club and that they beat him up as well. (there is something about him that makes me want to reach out and throttle him and I am pretty non violent)

Anyway I care little for the man and his success, he has accomplished nothing on his own and is not a creative wonder.
People buy up his garbage now but to everything comes an end. (am experiencing that myself at the moment)

 

[0wing]

I've got the impression that Todd is Literally Hitler. In other more politically correct words, yes he is charismatic, except he's a pathological liar. Todd just makes up his cool stories about life - about him and Ugly Pete being Fallout fans, about the chess club, him (not bugthesda) being open to criticism, him loving STALKER, him actually developing games, you name it. Why? So he would fit into whatever environment he has to infiltrate or whatever excuses he has to make for his behavior and the harming course bethesda takes.