Oh, Todd Howard, a name as iconic as it is controversial. Everyone has an opinion on him and everyone has an opinion on the games he helped bring to the forefront. Regardless of what you think of him, there's no denying that he's done a gargantuan job at pushing out incredible titles that continue to wow fans and other game developers all over the world.
That being said, the decisions taken by Bethesda haven't always been received with roaring applause, which has served as inspiration for these 10 hilarious Todd Howard memes that any Fallout and Skyrim fans will understand right away.
Updated on August 2nd, 2020 by Anastasia Maillot: Another year can hardly go by without Bethesda making somewhat questionable decisions regarding its games. Although Fallout 76 has seen some degree of improvement over the years, it remains one of the main points of criticism when fans think of Todd Howard and Bethesda.
Moreover, with no news on the horizon concerning Elder Scrolls VI, and very little information on Starfield and a potential Fallout 5 as well, fans of the Fallout and Elder Scrolls series will continue to relate to the frustration behind these funny Todd Howard memes.
14 Different Game, Same Engine
It's no secret that Bethesda absolutely loves recycling its content, including using its infamous Creation Engine. This game engine has actually been used for three of the main games the company has released in the last 10 years: Fallout 4, Skyrim, and Fallout 76.
Although everyone would agree it's time for a change and a refresh, Todd Howard and Bethesda seem to be in disagreement. Their obsession with using the same engine is getting downright ridiculous at this point. Please, at least spare Starfield from it!
13 The Greatest Villain
There are some pretty incredible characters in the games Todd Howard has helped make, which have become iconic villains and evil organizations. However, fans of Fallout and The Elder Scrolls have an impeccable sense of humor and understanding of what's really going on.
After everything these two franchises have gone through, it's no surprise at all that Todd Howard has received such a bad reputation. He represents disappointment for fans, and the idea of recycling a game endlessly rather than making a new one.
12 A Little Sneaky
Bethesda's crown jewel at this stage is undoubtedly Skyrim. The game has been released on just about any possible platform, to the point where it's become one of those games that everyone has played for at least five minutes. No one is a stranger to Skyrim.
It's almost like the game is being constantly shoved under people's noses, intentionally and unintentionally. It wouldn't surprise anyone at all if Skyrim was "accidentally" installed when downloading another Bethesda game, that's how much Todd Howard wants to keep selling it.
11 Not Another Skyrim Port
Speaking of Skyrim ports and all of the ridiculous merchandise that has been churned out in the last ten years for this game, the worst thing that could happen now that next-gen consoles have been announced and showcased in the spring of 2020 would be to see Todd Howard push for another Skyrim release.
One can only imagine the absolute outrage that would follow if the game was released again. Surely a decade of releases and a big remake is enough to satiate Todd Howard's thirst for profit?
10 Not Interested
It's no secret among Fallout fans that as the series has progressed the newest installations of the game haven't been as good as Fallout 3. For dedicated players, it's important to be able to come back to a favorite series when a new game comes out and have an experience that's even better than the one before.
However, the past years have been kind of a downhill for the Fallout franchise, which is why the running joke is that Todd just doesn't care.
9 It Just Works
The next game in line after Fallout 4 was highly anticipated. Given the popularity of the series, it's really no wonder that fans held Bethesda and Todd to high standards. The hype got even more real when Fallout 76 was teased in a trailer, and it was revealed that multiplayer would be available.
However, when the game was released it became one of the biggest disappointments of the year. Not only was it buggy, but it also seemed like a copy of Fallout 4. All Todd could say was "it just works", which might be true, but it's not much!
8 Oh, You Wanted More Fallout?
In case you haven't heard, Bethesda has announced it's working on a project called Starfield, which is a science fiction RPG game. Starfield would be a new original from Bethesda, which is exciting news for all of us.
However, instead of focusing on a brand new project the company's been milking the success from its other series, namely creating Fallout 76 which is basically Fallout 4 but repackaged for multiplayer. Todd seems more concerned with this than giving us something brand new.
7 Skyrim, For Everything
Speaking of Todd's concerns, Skyrim has been out for nearly a decade now. Although the news about Elder Scrolls VI being in the works was broken in 2018, it felt like a slap on the face to wait almost ten years before hearing even a whisper about the next game.
All Todd has been busy with is making Skyrim available for all possible platforms and adapt it for VR, which needless to say were news absolutely nobody got excited about. What's next, Todd? Skyrim for your smartphone?
6 Are You Sure About That, Todd?
It's no secret that Fallout 4 is a bit of a controversial game. Sure, it's a solid top three, but when you just wanna make sure the next game is better than the one before, it does flop a bit. Among true fans, New Vegas and Fallout 3 consistently score much better despite being a bit dated.
It almost feels like a betrayal that Fallout 4, which was highly anticipated, didn't maintain what made New Vegas and Fallout 3 so good and so unique in their own style. Perhaps a better strategy is needed from Todd, other than trying to not make a bad game.
5 Vilified Todd Howard
While we know that Todd isn't personally responsible for all the decisions that are taken regarding Bethesda's games, as the face of these titles he often gets blamed for things that go wrong. Fans have even gone as far as calling him Todd the Liar, for advertising game features that end up not being included in the final product and giving fans false hope.
It can be soul crushing to receive empty promises, and we sure feel for Todd who has to carry the blame most of the time.
4 The Master Of Recycling
It takes an extraordinary amount of time to make a really good game. Some of the best ones might spend years upon years in development. Fallout 4 was released in 2015, and only three years later Fallout 76 was released on the market. Coincidence? Much of what makes Fallout 76 the game it is was quite simply taken from Fallout 4.
Why this happened is unclear, but we can assume part of it has to do with keeping the series going by any means possible. Todd, we know you can do better!
3 Is Skyrim A Good Game?
Skyrim has also been the subject of debate for years, just like Fallout 4. The game became a huge success, but it wasn't without some serious downfalls either. Some fans, however, like to compare it to the initial flop of No Man's Sky, which was released far too early as an incomplete game.
Skyrim became known as a buggy game with extremely repetitive quests and a main quest line that ironically most people didn't even end up finishing due to the extent of the world. So, is Skyrim a good game? Todd is inclined to say yes.
2 Release Skyrim 10,000 Times
Fans are not stupid, that much is for certain, and they're a force to be reckoned with. While we might not always know exactly what we want and need, we sure know we don't need two million releases of the same game on all possible platforms.
Honestly, why would you even want to play Skyrim on Nintendo Switch, especially when there are better platforms that were released much earlier? Sometimes it's good to know when to move on to something new, and Todd definitely didn't for the longest time.
1 Just... Skyrim
We all know how much Todd obsessed over Skyrim for years. Sure, the game defined nearly a decade of gaming culture and became a classic among major titles, but like with all series you need to show you can actually bring something new to the table.
The gaming industry is a fast-paced one. Even Todd knows that after a while Skyrim and Fallout 76 are going to be old news, no matter the hype.