Weekly Communication · Issue #013

Todd's Dispatch

TH
Todd Howard
Game Director & Chief Vision Officer, Bethesda Game Studios
Issue #013
Week of August 4, 2026
On the Map, Which Is Now Larger Than the Distance Light Has Travelled Since We Started

Hi. Todd. Reporting from the edge of what is possible.

The procedural generation is complete and I need you to understand the scale of what we have built. The province is so large that on March 1st we sent an intern named Marcus walking east to find the border. He has not returned. His last transmission, three weeks ago, read simply: "still grass." We have classified this as our first fully successful playtest. Marcus, if you are reading this: keep going. You are doing incredible work. Payroll has some questions.

"We calculated that crossing the map on foot will take a dedicated player approximately forty-one years. We are extremely proud of this number. It is longer than some marriages. It is longer than the studio has existed. It is, we feel, generous."

This week we also shipped Photo Mode. There is, at present, nothing in the game to photograph. Undeterred, players have begun photographing the loading screen — specifically the smaller loading screen that loads inside the main loading screen. That image is now the most-shared screenshot of the year. It has been printed on tote bags. We do not sell the tote bags. Someone does. We are looking into it.

Also introducing the Fast Travel Season Pass, a monthly subscription that lets you fast travel to places that do not yet exist. It is our most popular pre-order tier. Nobody has used it. Everyone owns it. Good night.

Todd Howard
Cartographer of the Infinite & Photo Mode Visionary, BGS