Daggerfall:Old Unofficial FAQ/Bethesda

This is the Bethesda section of the Unofficial FAQ, version 0.992.  The text version of the FAQ was released on 24 August 1996, but the web version was last updated on 13 November 2006.  More current information on Bethesda is provided at Bethesda.

:This is an archive of a historical document and should not be edited other than formatting, links, or minor typos.
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Here's some info on Bethesda and its key staff. 

Bethesda Softworks

Headquartered in Rockville, Maryland, Bethesda is the fourth largest privately held publisher of PC Entertainment software. Bethesda's success and long standing technical expertise has attracted world-class programmers as well as veterans of Hollywood animation studios. The company is the entertainment software division of Media Technology Limited, an international engineering research and development firm founded by members of the Architecture Machine Group at MIT.

Senior Producer: Bruce Nesmith

ROCKVILLE, MD (20 May 1995). Bethesda announced today the hiring of Bruce Nesmith, as its Senior Producer. Nesmith, the well-known creator of "Ravenloft (r) Campaign Setting, Dragonstrike (r) Board Game," Introduction to AD&D"(r), "Gamma World"(r), "Fourth Edition" and scores of other role-playing games, is one of the most experienced writers in the role-playing community. As Creative Directory of TSR for the past seven years, he was in charge of the development of many of TSR's best selling titles.

"We are very pleased to have attracted someone of Bruce's caliber," said Christopher Weaver, President of Bethesda. "His extensive background in all manner of role playing over the past twenty years is a unique resource which we intend to utilize to the fullest. Bruce will be an integral part of the core group that directs the future development of role playing at Bethesda."

Nesmith commented that he would miss his friends and colleagues at TSR, but was excited about the prospect of creating cutting- edge products at Bethesda. "Bethesda is really committed to redefining numerous genres and they are one of the few groups that has the capability to do it," he said. "Of all the companies that have courted me over the years, Bethesda is the only one who impressed me as having the critical proportions of ability, experience and vision necessary to pull off their plans. The opportunity to become an integral part of such an organization was just too exciting to pass up."

Nesmith comes on at a time when Bethesda has stepped firmly into the elite "A" group of computer entertainment publishers. Computer Gaming World recently chose their ELDER SCROLLS: ARENA "Best Role Playing Game of 1995" (ARENA also received "Best" awards from Computing Game Review, Computer Player, and Game Magazine and five other industry awards). Praised as the most realistic and captivating role-playing game on the market, ARENA elevated the category of fantasy role-playing to a new level.

With the success of ARENA, there has been extraordinary anticipations for the release of DAGGERFALL. Bethesda's multi-player showing of THE TENTH PLANET utilizing their revolutionary X(n)gine(tm) 3D technology at the recent Electronic Entertainment Exposition (E3) in Los Angeles, caused quite a stir at the show. THE TENTH PLANET is the first original science fiction program developed in conjunction with a major Hollywood producer. Centropolis Entertainment, award-winning developer of such hit movies as "Stargate" and "Universal Soldier" is the creative partner in the venture.

Headquartered in Rockville, Maryland, Bethesda is the fourth largest privately held publisher of PC Entertainment software. Bethesda's success and long standing technical expertise has attracted world-class programmers as well as veterans of Hollywood animation studios. The company is the entertainment software division of Media Technology Limited, an international engineering research and development firm founded by members of the Architecture Machine Group at MIT.

Chief Designer: Ted Peterson

Ted Peterson is Senior Designer at Bethesda and has been working for Bethesda since 1993 on various projects, including the Terminator games and the original TES: ARENA. Before joining Bethesda, Peterson wrote award-winning short stories, critical essays, novels, and screenplays of most every genre, including science-fiction and fantasy. DAGGERFALL will be Peterson's first published game as lead designer, a prospect he regards with an equal mix of dread, horror, and dyspeptic nausea. It is a miracle he can walk at all.

Peterson was an English Literature major, and very nearly became a high school teacher before he actually sat down and thought about it. He subscribes to Woody Allen's observation that "Sex without love is an empty experience. But as empty experiences go, it's one of the best."

Designer and Chief Programmer: Julian Lefay

Julian Lefay is Chief Programmer of Bethesda and joined shortly after its creation in 1987. He is considered by many as one of the key technical people in the entertainment multi-media industry as he combines a rare mix of programming knowledge and computer language skills with proven design capability and music composition experience.

Lefay began programming in Europe in the early 1980's and quickly became known as one of the best Amstrad and Amiga programmers during the high period of Commodore's success. His programs have won numerous industry awards in virtually every category. His TES:ARENA, has developed into the most award-winning Role Playing Game of 1995. He is currently finishing the next TES sequel, DAGGERFALL.

Other Bethesda Members
(taken from the BETHESDA web site)

Christopher S. Weaver
Christopher Weaver is President of Bethesda and CEO of Media Technology Limited. Weaver was formerly Senior Technical Advisor and Chief Engineer to the House Subcomittee on Communications for the US Congress, Vice President of Science & Technology for the National Cable Association and directed the Office of Technology Forecasting for the American Broadcasting Company in New York.

A member of the Directors Guild of America, the IEEE, the Society for Cable Television Engineers and the American National Standards Committee, Weaver pioneered some of the earliest academic and commercial work in interactive laserdisk technology in the 1970's and interactive cable preojects in the 1980's.

Weaver holds numerous Masters and dual doctoral degrees from Wesleyan University and MIT. He subscribes to Arthur C. Clarke's observation that, "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."

Constance Gachowski
Constance Gachowski, Vice President of Finance, has an extensive background in accounting and finance. She was an accountant with the National Cable Television Association, Controller at Videomagic Laboratories and McManis Associates and was the Internal Controller at Arthur Young in Washington D.C. She has an MBA from George Washington University and a BA from Syracuse University.

James B. Moorhead
James B. Moorhead, Vice President of Corporate Development, was formerly a member of the investment banking division of Goldman, Sachs & Co. in New York, and an attorney for nine years, as an assistant U.S. attorney in Baltimore and with several Baltimore-Washington, D.C. area firms including Williams & Connolly. He holds a JD from Columbia Law School and an AB from Harvard College.

Brent Erickson
Brent Erickson directs the Lacey, Washington office of Media Technology, MediaTech West. He brings over sixteen years of extensive programming, design and management experience to the MediaTech family and has over 50 software titles to his credit including such noteworthy products as: Martian Memorandum, Mean Streets and the extremely popular golf simulation program, Links.

Rand Marlis
Rand Marlis is President of Creative Licensing Corporation and brings eighteen years of entertainment marketing experience to Bethesda. From his original position in merchandise licensing for Twentieth Century Fox to his current position at Creative Licensing Corporation, Marlis has successfully coordinated electronic game licenses and related merchandising for nearly two dozen properties including ROBOCOP, THE ADDAMS FAMILY, THE TERMINATOR and STARGATE. He is a graduate of UCLA Law School and is a member of the California Bar Association.