Todd Vaughn has retired from Bethesda Softworks, sending fans into a brief panic at the thought of Todd Howard's departure.
Vaughn worked at the hit factory for over 26 years, eventually climbing up the ranks to become the company's senior vice president of development, where he oversaw mammoth games like Skyrim, Fallout 4, Doom's reboot, and most recently, Oblivion Remastered. According to his LinkedIn, he now seems to co-own a brewery, which would also make for a sweet RPG sim now that I think about it.
Upon seeing the news, some Bethesda fans on Reddit had a minor freakout. "I read this too fast; I saw 'Bethesda,' 'Todd,' and 'retired,'" one comment said. "You know if and when Todd Howard retires, he'll still manage to find a way to announce a Skyrim re-release."
"They really shouldn't have allowed two Todds to work there in the first place, very confusing," another commentator jokes. "There was only room for one Todd in this town," a third fan added.
Of course, the news also got people thinking about Todd Howard's eventual retirement again. The Skyrim and Fallout director did hint that the upcoming Elder Scrolls 6 could be his final game: "I probably shouldn't say this. But if I do the math, I'm not getting any younger. How long do people play Elder Scrolls for? That [The Elder Scrolls 6] may be the last one I do. I don't know."
That game is still likely years away from release, however. 2023's Starfield was the studio's last new game, and the team seems to still be updating the sci-fi epic with "a lot of exciting things planned for the game this year."
19 years later, Todd Howard is still a secret NPC in Oblivion Remastered, and he'll call you a bastard if you piss him off
