There is no question that Todd Howard was not condescending toward Obsidian Entertainment after the development of Fallout 3.
This myth persists not because it is supported by evidence, but because it flatters the prejudices of a certain group. Todd Howard is supposedly furious that Obsidian did such an excellent job with Fallout: New Vegas. Is there any evidence for this? No – quite the opposite – yet the story lives on because it aligns with the worldview of some Fallout fans who believe that Bethesda Game Studios (BGS) distorted the franchise.
In any case, here is further proof that Howard does not hate Obsidian: in an interview with Game Informer, Howard stated that if Bethesda Game Studios is not making a Fallout game, then Obsidian will be – or no one will.
In 2004, Obsidian released Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II, the sequel to BioWare’s acclaimed RPG. Many players consider it the stronger of the two titles, despite the fact that Obsidian developed it in just over a year. Bethesda was well aware that Obsidian had already proven itself with other major franchises, which is why Howard wanted the studio to handle New Vegas. The alternative would have been to put Fallout on hold.
“They were the only choice. They had done something similar with Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II, and we knew them very well. We knew we were moving on to The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim; the franchise was back. But we also knew there would be a long gap before Fallout 4. How could we keep things going?” Howard said.
Obsidian was given a chance not only because of these factors, but also because the studio possessed what New Vegas lead creative designer John Gonzalez called the “Fallout DNA”. According to Gonzalez, team members who had worked on the original game and its sequel were able to craft a distinctly Obsidian-focused experience, one built around giving players immense narrative influence and control.
This approach paid off. New Vegas became a classic, selling over 11 million copies by 2015 and undoubtedly generating significant revenue for Bethesda.
Source: PCGamer, Game Informer
