- According to former Bethesda character artist Dennis Mejillones, developers are afraid to say no to Todd Howard.
- As a result, Bethesda is suffering because no one filters the studio head’s bad ideas.
- The ex-developer also revealed that Howard doesn’t have much flexibility due to pressure from Microsoft.
With Elder Scrolls 6 still years away from launch and Starfield not turning out to be the smash hit everyone expected, Bethesda has lost some good grace with fans in the last few years. The studio has been consistently working on titles like Starfield, improving them free of cost with new updates.
However, the delayed new titles and their support of the divisive DLSS 5 have landed Bethesda in hot water. Now, an ex-character artist from the studio has stated that the current problems at Bethesda could be due to a flurry of yes-men working under Todd Howard.
Why it matters: Even the most celebrated and renowned artists have flaws, and Bethesda needs to realise that if it wants to make influential titles again.
In a 2025 interview with Kiwi Talkz, former Bethesda artist Dennis Mejillones said that a lot of people at Bethesda are afraid to say no to Todd Howard, and resultantly its hurting him and the studio.
Typically, though, I would communicate if I felt really strongly about it. You know me and Todd at least could communicate. A lot of people were afraid to say no to Todd, and I think that hurt him.
Mejillones explained that before leaving Bethesda in June 2021, he would very openly express his opinion on certain development decisions and communicate with Todd Howard to improve games.
However, other employees at the company were not willing to do so due to Howard’s celebrity status and reverence in the industry. Hence, the presence of yes-men is hurting Bethesda as the company can’t filter through the good and bad ideas of Todd Howard.
Dennis Mejillones also emphasized that the Bethesda boss is a gaming great; however, even the best can come up with the wrong ideas, and the studio should have people who challenge them.
In addition, the former character artist revealed that Todd Howard doesn’t have the same freedom at present due to pressure from higher-ups at Microsoft, putting him in a difficult situation.
Do you think Todd Howard’s ideas not receiving any opposition is hurting Bethesda? Tell us in the comments below or head to the Tech4Gamers forum for discussion.
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Shameer Sarfaraz has previously worked for eXputer as a Senior News Writer for several years. Now with Tech4Gamers, he loves to devoutly keep up with the latest gaming and entertainment industries. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science and years of experience reporting on games. Besides his passion for breaking news stories, Shahmeer loves spending his leisure time farming away in Stardew Valley. VGC, IGN, GameSpot, Game Rant, TheGamer, GamingBolt, The Verge, NME, Metro, Dot Esports, GameByte, Kotaku Australia, PC Gamer, and more have cited his articles.
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