22 Facts About Todd Howard

Todd Howard serves as director and executive producer at Bethesda Game Studios, where he has led the development of the Fallout and The Elder Scrolls series.

Todd Andrew Howard was born in 1970 in Lower Macungie Township, Pennsylvania, to Ronald and Priscilla Howard.

Todd Howard developed an interest in computers, particularly video games, at a very young age.

Todd Howard attended Emmaus High School in Emmaus, Pennsylvania, where he graduated in 1989.

Todd Howard graduated from William and Mary in 1993, with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree.

Todd Howard later stated that a business major appeared as the easiest path through college.

Todd Howard asked for a job at the company but was rejected and told that he needed to finish school as a prerequisite.

Todd Howard then started working for a smaller game company in Yorktown, Virginia, which enabled him to visit several conventions like the Consumer Electronics Show, where he continued approaching Bethesda to request being hired.

Todd Howard was project leader for the first time on The Elder Scrolls Adventures: Redguard, released in 1998.

In 2000, Todd Howard was appointed project leader and designer for The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind and the expansions that followed.

Todd Howard then led the creation of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion as its executive producer.

Todd Howard returned to The Elder Scrolls series to lead the development as the creative director of its fifth installment, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, which was released in November 2011.

Todd Howard subsequently directed Fallout 4, released in November 2015, and produced Fallout 76, a multiplayer installment in the series that attracted criticism upon its release in November 2018.

Todd Howard served as the executive producer of "Indiana Jones and the Great Circle", released by MachineGames and Lucasfilm Games.

In 2012, Todd Howard said he was favorable to modding in video games, claiming he did not understand why many developers do not allow it.

Todd Howard said developers should ignore demographics and installed base, and follow their passions, saying that "if install base really mattered, we'd all make board games, because there are a lot of tables".

Todd Howard's work has often received attention by the generalist media and press; his games have been featured in Newsweek, CNN, USA Today, and The Today Show.

The high popularity of the games Todd Howard has directed and produced has turned him, and some of his quotes, into Internet memes.

Todd Howard was the 16th recipient of a Game Developers Conference Lifetime Achievement Award.

In 2020, Todd Howard received the 2020 Develop Star award for "outstanding achievements and contribution to the industry".

Todd Howard stated that Ultima VII: The Black Gate is one of his personal favorites, and it had a large influence on the games he has developed.

Todd Howard married Kimberly Yaissle on July 8,1995, at St Thomas More Catholic Church in Allentown, Pennsylvania.