Bethesda's Todd Howard - Nintendo contacted Bethesda about Skyrim, law of diminishing returns with resolution

A portion of a Glixel interview with Bethesda's Todd Howard...

G: You're getting this award a week before the Nintendo Switch is released, and you're one of the few Western developers that's visible on the new console from the beginning. How did that come about?

TD: When it comes to the Switch, Nintendo's the only company that can do that, right? When you hear that Nintendo's going to do a new platform, there's a lot of ways that can go. If you look at handheld gaming, they're still the best at it. If they say "we're going to make the best handheld ever and you can plug it into your TV", well that's just really, really smart. I hope they do well and it's a unique opportunity for us.

G: Were you talking to them for a while?

TD: They came to us early about Skyrim, and we always wanted to work with them. Even though it's a game that people have played before and have known for a long time, it's special for us to work them. I think it was Nintendo of America who reached out to us. I wasn't the original point of contact. We met with some people from Japan, but it originally came from the American team. There was much more of a push this time to get the support. They have the kind of device that makes it much easier for third parties to give them the support.

G: You've said in the past that the demo you first saw of the Switch was one of the most impressive things you've seen. Do you still feel that way? Gaming tastes seem to have changed a lot in the past few years – have they found the sweet spot between console and mobile?

TD: I wouldn't say they're in the sweet spot, necessarily. And honestly, I don't think tastes have changed overall. The DS and 3DS were incredibly popular. The good news is that every type of game is popular now.

G: Do you think people care that it's not a super-powerful 4K device like the PS4 Pro or a high-end PC?

TD: I think there's a law of diminishing returns on TV resolution. Honestly, 4K is not a priority for me. I'd rather use the extra power for effects and lighting, especially on a console game. On a computer it's different, because your face is right up on the screen. From the sofa though, pixel count isn't as important as image quality to me.