Todd Howard: Open World Games Must Be Reactive Too

Todd Howard
Todd Howard GamesRadar

Open-world video games are becoming even more massive in succeeding generations. But is that really good a thing? Several games have massive maps yet there's nothing to do. They are just filled with repetitive side missions and useless collectibles to increase playtime. We need more challenging games rather than massive worlds. Game director Todd Howard thinks the same.

The director of the critically-acclaimed The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim thinks that open-world games should be more reactive than massive. Howard recently gave an interview where he talked about ‘reactivity in-game worlds.’

“Let’s just cast forward to the next five to 10 years of gaming - for me, it’s more about access than clock cycles. Just the time it takes to even turn a console on and load up some of these games is a barrier – it’s time that you’re not enjoying being in that world… The kind of games we make are ones that people are going to sit down and play for hours at a time,” Howard said .

“If you can access a game more easily, and no matter what device you’re on or where you are, that’s what I think the next five to 10 years in gaming is about. I’d like to see more reactivity in-game worlds, more systems clashing together that players can express themselves with. I think chasing scale for scale’s sake is not always the best goal.” Howard added.

Bethesda is currently developing two open-world games. One is a new IP called Starfield. And second, the highly-anticipated sixth major installment of the Elder Scrolls. Both the games will use a heavily updated version of Creation Engine. Howard might not have the best luck with multiplayer games, like Fallout 76. But he delivered amazing open-world single-player games, some still being played worldwide.

So, what do you think? Are you excited about Starfield? Or do you care more about the Elder Scrolls 6? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

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