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Bethesda’s first full-time QA tester got the job by being an extremely chill hang
During Bethesda Game Studios’ 40th anniversary, design director Alan Nanes recalled how he became one of the studio’s first full-time quality assurance testers. While visiting friends during the development of Morrowind, he was invited by Todd Howard to try the game; developers began observing his sessions and discussing design decisions with him. His experience shows how informal playtesting helped shape the studio’s early approach to QA.
Nanes said the testing became a regular part of development, leading Howard and Ashley Cheng to establish an in-studio QA role that he took on. He later became a quest designer on Oblivion and lead companions designer on Starfield. The article contrasts his positive path with later disputes among ZeniMax QA staff over pay, workloads and career prospects: workers formed a union in 2023, ratified a contract in June 2025 after lengthy negotiations, and reached a severance agreement following Xbox layoffs in July 2026.
In short
- Alan Nanes joined Bethesda QA after informally testing Morrowind.
- Developers used his sessions to discuss design changes.
- Later ZeniMax QA workers unionised and negotiated a contract.
Explained simply
Quality assurance, or QA, means testing a game to find problems and see how it plays. During work on Morrowind, Bethesda developers watched Alan Nanes try the game and talked with him about their design choices; the sessions became a regular part of development.
Todd Howard and Ashley Cheng later created an in-studio QA role for Nanes. He went on to work as a quest designer on Oblivion and lead companions designer on Starfield, while later ZeniMax QA staff organised over pay, workloads and career prospects.
The account offers a glimpse of how Bethesda’s early testing roles could grow from informal feedback into a career in game design. Later worker disputes show that QA work and career paths at the company have also been a source of disagreement.