Todd Howard likes "to start over" on every Elder Scrolls game, and as we approach Skyrim's 15th anniversary I don't know that Bethesda needed to start over that hard

1. Games
2. RPGs
3. The Elder Scrolls
4. Skyrim

Todd Howard likes "to start over" on every Elder Scrolls game, and as we approach Skyrim's 15th anniversary I don't know that Bethesda needed to start over that hard News By Dustin Bailey published 6 February 2026

"You look back across the franchise and say, 'Okay, what's important?'"

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

(Image credit: Bethesda)

• Copy link
• Facebook
• X
• Whatsapp
• Pinterest
• Flipboard
• Email

Share this article 4 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter GamesRadar+ Get the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more

Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

You are now subscribed

Your newsletter sign-up was successful

Want to add more newsletters?

Every Friday

GamesRadar+

Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them.

Signup +

Every Thursday

GTA 6 O'clock

Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts.

Signup +

Every Friday

Knowledge

From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon.

Signup +

Every Thursday

The Setup

Hardware nerds unite, sign up to our free tech newsletter for a weekly digest of the hottest new tech, the latest gadgets on the test bench, and much more.

Signup +

Every Wednesday

Switch 2 Spotlight

Sign up to our new Switch 2 newsletter, where we bring you the latest talking points on Nintendo's new console each week, bring you up to date on the news, and recommend what games to play.

Signup +

Every Saturday

The Watchlist

Subscribe for a weekly digest of the movie and TV news that matters, direct to your inbox. From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we've got you covered.

Signup +

Once a month

SFX

Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month!

Signup + An account already exists for this email address, please log in. Subscribe to our newsletter

Todd Howard likes to go back to the drawing board every time Bethesda makes a new Elder Scrolls game. That fact is laughably obvious given the long, long wait for The Elder Scrolls 6 – we're hitting Skyrim's 15th anniversary this year – but it's an important part of the studio's philosophy about revisiting its most notable franchises.

"When we go to do an Elder Scrolls game," Howard tells Game Informer in a tangent during a Fallout interview, "I do kind of like to start over, so you look back across the franchise and say, 'Okay, what's important? How do you sort of file away the age? Like, okay, what's underneath that? Why do certain game mechanics… how do they make you feel, as opposed to the actual mechanic? What are the unique things about the world?'"

Bethesda's willingness to dramatically reinvent core parts of the series is apparent if you look back at its history. Morrowind killed the procedural generation of Arena and Daggerfall in favor of a fully handcrafted world. Skyrim ditched the hardcore number crunching of its predecessors in favor of a more intuitive stat system.

You may like

• Todd Howard knows there's "anxiety" about Fallout 5, says "we do like to wait" but "we never stopped developing Fallout"
• Bethesda devs love switching between Elder Scrolls and Fallout because going from fantasy to sci-fi "keeps things fresh"
• Bethesda's Todd Howard says "we are doing other things with Fallout that we haven’t announced"

And it's true of Fallout, too, which is the actual subject of Howard's statement. But instead of referring to its own games to figure out the basic core of the identity, the team looks back at the 1997 Interplay classic that started it all. "Fallout 1, like, the tone of that game and the world of it became our boilerplate in terms of whenever you go to do something new," Howard explains.

The original Fallout's grim tone carried into Bethesda's series debut on Fallout 3, and the devs wanted to explore a different space for Fallout 4. "We're coming off of Skyrim, so it's our follow up to Skyrim," Howard explains. "There was an idea of not having it as visually and tonally bleak as Fallout 3 was, and we want each game to have its own kind of identity. We do it with Elder Scrolls, we do it with Fallout. That was one of the main goals as we went out and did research and took photos of areas that had decayed or buildings that have been destroyed or other things, there's an interesting colorfulness or beauty to some of that."

Todd Howard knows there's "anxiety" about Fallout 5, admits "we do like to wait" but reassures fans "we never stopped developing Fallout."

Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more

Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. TOPICS Bethesda Softworks Bethesda Game Studios CATEGORIES PS5 PS4 Xbox Series X Xbox One Nintendo Switch 2 Nintendo Switch PC Gaming Platforms PlayStation Xbox Nintendo Dustin BaileySocial Links NavigationStaff Writer

Dustin Bailey joined the GamesRadar team as a Staff Writer in May 2022, and is currently based in Missouri. He's been covering games (with occasional dalliances in the worlds of anime and pro wrestling) since 2015, first as a freelancer, then as a news writer at PCGamesN for nearly five years. His love for games was sparked somewhere between Metal Gear Solid 2 and Knights of the Old Republic, and these days you can usually find him splitting his entertainment time between retro gaming, the latest big action-adventure title, or a long haul in American Truck Simulator.

View More

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.

Logout Read more Todd Howard knows there's "anxiety" about Fallout 5, says "we do like to wait" but "we never stopped developing Fallout"    Bethesda devs love switching between Elder Scrolls and Fallout because going from fantasy to sci-fi "keeps things fresh"    Bethesda's Todd Howard says "we are doing other things with Fallout that we haven’t announced"    Bethesda knows Skyrim has released "for the 117th time" thanks to the Switch 2 port, but "there's still a huge audience"    The Elder Scrolls fans fire back at Skyrim lead's fightin' words: Morrowind "manages to hold up better than Skyrim"    Todd Howard knows it's "disappointing" there's no Fallout 5 to release with the show, but "it'll do great" when it gets here    Latest in The Elder Scrolls Fan-made Oblivion remake Skyblivion continues looking real pretty in new screenshots: "We've been a bit quiet"    Bethesda could take notes from Baldur's Gate 3 to make new RPGs like The Elder Scrolls 6 "meaningful," says Skyrim lead    Step aside, awful Skyrim Switch 2 port – Bethesda is releasing Oblivion Remastered on Nintendo's new console this year    Bethesda veteran would be "shocked" if Amazon's Fallout TV show makes the studio "any money they care about"    This Oblivion Remastered mod adds actual jobs to Bethesda's revamped RPG, in case you're not already sick of working IRL    Skyrim lead thinks it's "wiser" for Bethesda to use its Creation Engine for new games like Elder Scrolls 6    Latest in News Baby Krypto captures our hearts in Puppy Bowl's new Supergirl teaser    All-Star Superman writer Grant Morrison has some issues with James Gunn’s take on the character    Strange and excellent Morrowind-like RPG with 90% positive Steam reviews is finally coming to PS5, Xbox, and Switch 2    New Overwatch actor addresses the "elephant in the room," says she had to "mourn" her character's redesign    Ex-Mass Effect devs know "there's a hunger" for big RPGs, so there's an "unbelievable amount of pressure" on Exodus    Fallout co-creator showed the engine that would eventually power the RPG at a secret after-hours pizza party    GAME REVIEWSMOVIE REVIEWSTV REVIEWS

1. 1Mewgenics review: "The Binding of Isaac collides with Into the Breach in a smart strategy roguelike"
2. 2Odin's Ravens review: "Perfect for two-player matches on the go"
3. 3This Lord of the Rings card game is a puzzle-solving masterclass
4. 4Nioh 3 review: "Brutal clashes across wide maps avoid retreading Elden Ring – this is all demon killer, no filler"
5. 5Highguard review: "A fresh but muddled FPS genre mashup that needs refinement if it's to have any staying power"

1. 1Return to Silent Hill review: "Neither an impressive adaptation nor coherent enough to act as a standalone film"
2. 228 Years Later: The Bone Temple review: "The wildest and weirdest entry into the franchise yet"
3. 3Avatar: Fire and Ash review: "Still a technical marvel, with some of the year's best action filmmaking"
4. 4Five Nights at Freddy's 2 review: "We have waited two years for a Five Nights at Freddy's 1.5"
5. 5Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery review: "Brings Knives Out back to its roots for a sequel that's almost on a par with the original"

1. 1Wonder Man review: "A low-key gem that's up there with the MCU's best"
2. 2Starfleet Academy review: "It may feel a little different to what we're used to, but this is Star Trek through and through"
3. 3A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms review: "This Game of Thrones spin-off is a surprisingly heartfelt and fun return to Westeros"
4. 4Stranger Things season 5 finale review: “Shows off both the best and the worst of Hawkins”
5. 5Stranger Things season 5, Volume 2 review: “All set up for a finale that has so much to deliver”