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IrelandTodd Howard remembers Bethesda's happiest programmers
IGN's anniversary upload revisits the Xbox 360 memory boost, Bethesda's Terminator years and Skyrim's enduring place in the studio.
IGN
Story of Why this story? 947,794 views so far, and here is what is inside it.
Bethesda Game Studios: Official 40th Anniversary Update (feat. Todd Howard)
Things we can learn from the video
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- 0:51Bethesda's early catalog includes Gridiron!, Wayne Gretzky Hockey and The Terminator.
- 2:36Morrowind brings modding and Bethesda's original Xbox partnership into the retrospective.
- 3:20Howard recalls the Xbox 360's memory doubling during Oblivion's development, delighting the programmers.
- 5:18The retrospective reaches Skyrim, which Howard says remains the studio's most played game, then Fallout and Starfield.
- 7:44A scroll-in-the-sand teaser reveals the next game's title: The Elder Scrolls VI: Sentinel.
The Xbox 360's memory doubled during Oblivion's development, and Todd Howard still remembers the reaction. "I have never seen programmers happier, still to this day in my life," he says in Bethesda's anniversary film, posted by IGN.
The extra room to work is one of the more revealing details in a retrospective that ends with the name of The Elder Scrolls VI: Sentinel. Before that announcement, Howard walks through Bethesda's headquarters and a history that includes hockey, licensed movie games and the practical business of getting ambitious worlds onto consoles.
An early post-apocalyptic-looking game comes with a correction from the host: "No, it's not Fallout, originally it was The Terminator." The tour then reaches Arena, Daggerfall and Morrowind, with modding and the original Xbox partnership becoming part of the story.
There is also a striking admission about which world players keep choosing. "Even today, 15 years later, Skyrim is our most played game," Howard says. That puts the familiar snowy province in a different light as the film moves through Fallout 4, Fallout 76 and Starfield.
For anyone coming specifically for the next Elder Scrolls, the title teaser begins at 7:44. A scroll emerges from sand before the Sentinel name appears. It is a title reveal rather than a gameplay demonstration, a distinction behind the comment section's running jokes about the long wait between announcements.
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What viewers say
"Cheers to 40 more" sounds like an easter egg for the release date of the next elder scrolls
@regulardinosaurSee it on YouTubeThey really just gave us "Game Title card 2.mp4"
@hugomaster50See it on YouTubeCan't wait for YouTubers making 20 minutes breakdown video of the title reveal
@Amit_KattalSee it on YouTube
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- Channel
- IGN
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- 20,000,000
- Channel views, last 7 days
- 49,684,663
- Channel views, pace per day
- 8,306,251 (on a normal day: 7,247,714)
- Video published
- November 3, 2026
- Video views so far
- 947,794 (4 days online)
- Video views, pace per day
- 34,099 (on a normal day: 232,820)
The numbers
The anniversary film has drawn nearly a million views in four days. Its story is the studio history and title reveal, rather than an unusual surge in viewing.
💡 Test your knowledge
Which game does Todd Howard say remains Bethesda's most played?
Howard says Skyrim remains the studio's most played game, 15 years after its release.