David McKenzie
Designer — Bethesda Game Studios
Focused on level design and writing across Fallout 76, Fallout 76: Wastelanders, and early Starfield development. Delivered shippable spaces, interactive storytelling, and rapid prototypes within production constraints.
Summary
- Designer at Bethesda Game Studios (2017–2020) focused on World & Level Design and Dialogue/Writing
- Wrote dozens of dialogue scenes and authored environmental storytelling content (holotapes, lore notes, terminals) that continue to receive strong player recognition
- Designed and prototyped new gameplay systems within two weeks of initial hire date
- Worked across playtesting, documentation, and rapid prototyping to support iteration and production readiness
- Shipped major Fallout 76 locations including the FTUE tutorial-town Flatwoods, the game’s largest city Morgantown, and the FMV supersite West-Tek Research Center
Starfield
Originally assigned to Neon city level development, supporting early layout, readability, and content planning as the project ramped.
Collaborated through playtest feedback and documentation to align spatial intent with production realities.
Fallout 76: Wastelanders
Shipped The Motherlode for the Wastelanders expansion, supporting narrative beats through space, pacing, and authored content.
Contributed writing and interactive storytelling deliverables to reinforce player discovery and progression.
Fallout 76
Shipped the FTUE tutorial-town Flatwoods, the largest city Morgantown, and the FMV supersite West-Tek Research Center.
Wrote, directed, and personally set-dressed multiple holotapes, lore notes, and terminal entries to deliver character voice and world history.
Selected Writing & Environmental Storytelling
- Gym session notes
- Responder’s personal log
- History of Morgantown: Vol. I
- History of Morgantown: Vol. II
- History of Morgantown: Vol. III
- History of Morgantown: Vol. IV
- I hate Flatwoods
- In memory of books
- Responder’s plea
- The Battle of Morgantown
- Welcome to the Freak Show
- A reminder to myself
- Confessions of an addict
- Dumb street kids
- Feeling good, looking good
- Last will and testament of Jeremiah Ward
- I remember you, mom
- O Holy Night
- Gardening test
- Sweetheart
- Postcard from VTU
- Postcard from Mom & Dad
- Postcard from Home
- Unfinished Postcard
- PSY101 Notebook Cover
- Roof Climber’s Poem
- Birthday Toast Drafts
- Business Is Bad
- AUTOMATED RECORD 0000001
- To Janet
- Postcard from Maddy
- Postcard from Grandma
- Postcard from Elizabeth
- Trouble with Radiation
- Tear It All Down
- Stuck
- History of Morgantown: Author’s notes
- HR meeting minutes
- Monorail maintenance log 30045
- Psych eval: Olivia P. Henderson
- Psych eval: Wyatt Johnson
- Flatwoods Tavern terminals
- West Tek Research Center terminals
Holotapes
Lore Notes
Terminals
Media Gallery
