Todd Howard’s game design power is knowing when to make things ‘simple and digestible’ according to Skyrim’s lead designer

Bruce Nesmith, lead designer of Skyrim, says Todd Howard is skilled at judging game design from the perspective of a typical player. That ability, Nesmith says, helps Howard recognise when developers’ complex systems could get in the way of players’ enjoyment, and to favour choices that feel simple and easy to understand.

Nesmith says designers benefit from colleagues who challenge their own perspective. He cites Oblivion’s “detect life” spell, which obscured the game’s detailed art when left active; in Skyrim, its upkeep became costly, encouraging brief use. The article also notes that Fallout 3 made role-playing more approachable, while questioning whether Starfield’s simpler role-playing system reduced the depth of earlier Bethesda games.