Todd Howard shares opinions on generative AI in game development — and it might not be the take you expected from Bethesda

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If you’re not familiar, Todd Howard is the director and executive producer at Bethesda Game Studios. He’s been a key figure in the creation of many of their most popular games and is well-known as the public representative of the company.

As the release of Fallout Season 2 approaches, Todd Howard has been giving a lot of interviews. In a recent conversation with Eurogamer, he talked about artificial intelligence and even predicted which game will win Game of the Year in 2025.

This helped us understand his opinion on a debated tool and which game he enjoyed the most this year.

What Todd Howard says about generative AI

Good news for anyone wary of AI: Todd Howard doesn’t see it taking over creative fields. He believes AI is simply a tool to *help* developers, not replace artists, stating, “I view it as a tool. I think creative intention comes from human artists.”

This suggests the industry generally sees AI as a tool to help with initial tasks and improve efficiency, rather than fully creating final products. Todd elaborates on this concept, stating:

Could this help us speed up our internal testing and improvement process for our tools? We’re not looking for it to create things, just to help us refine what we already have.

Todd Howard

He notes that creative tools are always improving, comparing today’s software to older versions. However, he emphasizes that the artist is still the most important part of the creative process. He explains that just like no one would want to use an older version of Photoshop from 10 years ago, technology advances, but the artist’s skill remains key.

This highlights Todd’s main idea about why having people guide the creative process is still important at Bethesda. He emphasizes that the studio’s unique quality comes from the artists and developers, explaining, “We want to protect the artistry because that’s the human intention behind it – that’s what makes our games special.”

Todd Howard names his 2025 Game of the Year

In a recent interview with Eurogamer, Todd Howard was asked about his top game pick for 2025. He highlighted three titles he’s excited about: Clair Obscure Expedition 33, Death Stranding 2, and Kingdom Come Deliverance 2.

If he had to pick a favorite, he would choose Expedition 33, describing it as truly unique and amazing. He believes it’s a remarkable work of art in many different ways.

Expedition 33 has received another award, this one a personal acknowledgment from Todd Howard, which many consider quite significant.

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2025-12-08 16:13