Facebook Gaming Not Todd Howard's Cup of Tea

The social games space has absolutely exploded in the last year or so, and it continues to grow. More and more companies, including traditional publishers, are trying to get a piece of the action. One could argue that major purchases like Disney's recent acquisition of Playdom validate the market for social games; the space is finally maturing. With that in mind, IndustryGamers in a recent interview with Bethesda's Todd Howard asked the developer if he had any personal interest in social games or would like to pursue it professionally.

Howard's response was refreshingly candid; he knows what types of games he likes and likes to develop, and he's sticking to those. "I’ve got to be honest: I don’t get it," he said regarding the whole social games boom. "I look at it and try to understand but for now I’ve just decided to ignore it (laughter). I think, one day, maybe I’ll figure it out, but until then, I don’t see the allure of those kinds of games."

He added, however, "There might be a way to connect people. I think that’s always a good goal: to connect people through your game. So I’ve kind of looked into that, how we might be able to do some of those things. But as far as a game on there, I don’t know."

Ultimately, though, when it comes to Facebook games, he remarked, "The light bulb hasn’t gone off for me. I just don’t get it. I get these little messages: 'I’ve got a new horse, or fish?' I don’t know."

We know just how you feel, Todd.