Todd Howard, game director and executive producer at Bethesda Game Studios, already has a Lifetime Achievement award under his belt. To make things even better, it has been confirmed that Howard will be inducted into the Academy Interactive Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame (AIAS) at the DICE Awards in February 2017. Howard directed the instant cult classics, Skyrim and Fallout 4.
In an interview with Wired.com, Howard talks about how he first joined Bethesda in 1994. It all came about because he knocked on the door and when someone answered, said: “Hey, I saw your address, and I want to work here one day.” Since that moment twenty-two years ago, Howard has since become a notable figure of Bethesda’s chief development studio and his work on Fallout 4 and Skyrim makes him an admirable candidate for the Hall of Fame award. The AIAS Hall of Fame awards individuals who “demonstrate the highest level of creativity and innovation, resulting in significant product influence on a scale that expands the scope of the industry.”
Though Skyrim and Fallout 4 are two completely different open-world games, there is a level of environmental storytelling at play, not to mention the countless hours of gameplay that appeal to different aspects of different players. There is something for everyone in these games, especially the freedom to carve your own adventure, and between them, they have racked up an impressive amount of awards. It only makes sense that the man behind them is also recognized.
“The Academy is thrilled to be honoring Todd Howard as our next Hall of Fame recipient during our 20th D.I.C.E. Awards celebration,” said AIAS’s president, Mike Fischer. He continued, saying:
I know that many of us in the industry have spent countless hours enthralled in the vast, open worlds that Todd has created. He’s made us all reconsider the player-gamer relationship and extend the storytelling possibilities of our medium. We look forward to honoring Todd and celebrating his achievement and contributions to the video games industry.
Colleagues at Bethesda sing Howard’s praises as well. Pete Hines, who is head of PR and Marketing at Bethesda explained how “Todd’s impact on his studio, our company, and the gaming industry as a whole has been truly remarkable. When you look at the very best game developers of all time- the 21 members of the AIAS Hall of Fame- I think Todd deserves to have his name right alongside the best.”
Come February, Howard will be the 22nd inductee into the Hall of Fame. Previous inductees include Hideo Kojima (Metal Gear Solid); Tim Sweeney (Unreal Engine); Greg Zeschuk and Ray Muzyka (BioWare).
