A few people asked me and on YouTube where you can find the GDC Transcript / Video about Modular Level Design of Skyrim (2013) and Iterative Level Design Process (2014) (Video). The videos are available online in the GDC Vault for free, a subscription is not required. If you don’t have a subscription to the GDC Vault ask someone in your company who has access to videos with the requirement of a subscriptions.
This talk is a in-depth exploration of how level design work is planned and executed at Bethesda. “The process is designed very specifically around the temporal nature of game development – certain things are best done at certain stages of completion, and our process aims to maximize productivity while minimizing waste.” Take a look at the transcript on the blog from Joel Burgess about Skyrim’s Modular Level Design – GDC 2013.