# Bethesda’s first full-time QA tester got the job by being an extremely chill hang

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/bethesdas-first-full-time-qa-tester-got-the-job-by-being-an-extremely-chill-hang/
- Published: 2026-11-03T18:49:23+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-06T10:41:14+00:00
- Original publisher: PC Gamer
- Original article: https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/bethesdas-first-full-time-qa-tester-got-the-job-by-being-an-extremely-chill-hang/
- Topics: Entertainment, Gaming

## Key points

- 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.

## Summary

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.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.