Bethesda's Howard: Fallout Fans 'A Lot Less Crazy Than People Think'

Author: by Staff

Talking to Gamasutra ahead of Fallout 3's debut, Bethesda's Todd Howard has been discussing the legacy of the post-apocalyptic franchise, suggesting that developers do look for common threads to address in critical feedback. Despite many complaints from die-hard fans of the Fallout series -- many still bitter over the studio's transformation of the franchise from a traditional RPG to a first- and third-person shooter -- Howard insists that the incensed critics are "a lot less crazy than people think." "There's a lot of noise, and we try pretty hard to listen to it," he says. "So, even if someone's ranting, and they're sending us messages on a certain thing, there's usually a common thread in that, and we honestly try to get at it." He mentions that the Fallout team doesn't enter the back-and-forth debates, adding, "That's not our job; our job is to listen, and try to -- as much as possible -- explain why we're doing what we're doing, and have the game ultimately speak for itself." Howard says that reading the criticism online can be jarring, though, admitting, "When you read your own forums and stuff, you're like, 'Oh my gosh, this is just...'" The executive producer continues, "But then -- most people don't go look at other people's -- then you go to Blizzard's. Probably the most successful game maker there is." "Go to their forums," he advises. "'These guys are TERRIBLE! What are they DOING?' And so, you know, that definitely puts it in perspective. But that doesn't mean that people don't have a point -- it's just how they're saying it. " You can read the full interview with Bethesda Softworks's Todd Howard, who talks about Fallout 3's multiplatform development and user interface among other topics (no registration required, please feel free to link to this feature from other websites).