Bethesda Head of Publishing Pete Hines is Leaving the Company

Pete Hines, Bethesda’s Head of Publishing is leaving the company after 24 years. Pete Hines, Head of Publishing at Bethesda Softworks is leaving the company after 24 years. Bethesda, which is now owned by Microsoft, is the publisher of beloved franchises such as Fallout, Doom, Wolfenstein, and The Elder Scrolls, and it recently released its first new IP in 25 years with the sci-fi RPG Starfield.

According to his LinkedIn profile, Hines joined Bethesda back in 1999 as SVP of Global Marketing and Communications. He became the company’s Head of Publishing in October 2022, and he’s been one of Bethesda’s most recognizable faces along with video game designer Todd Howard. In the announcement posted on X, Hines said that he was “retiring” to explore other passions and take “more time to enjoy life.”

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— Pete Hines (@DCDeacon) October 16, 2023

“This was not a decision I came to easily or quickly, but after an amazing career, culminating in the incredible launch of Starfield, it feels like the time is right,” Hines wrote. The long-time Bethesda executive added that “working with the amazing people, teams, and studios at Bethesda has been the greatest experience of my life.

Hines’ retirement comes at a time when Microsoft’s game division is investing massively to develop its first-party production. Before Microsoft completed its $68 billion Activision Blizzard on Friday, the company’s acquisition of Zenimax Media/Bethesda for $7.5 billion in 2021 was the company’s fourth biggest acquisition ever.

This year, the first Xbox-exclusive Bethesda games have not generated the same level of enthusiasm. Hi-Fi Rush, a surprise release in late January received excellent reviews, but it was followed by the critically panned Redfall. Starfield, one of the most-anticipated games of the year has been a critical and popular success, crossing 10 million players since its launch on September 6. However, it may not end up on gamers’ GOTY lists in a year where Baldur’s Gate 3, Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, or Marvel’s Spiderman 2 received more critical acclaim.

Hines said today that he is to see the “amazing things” that Bethesda has in the pipeline. So far, the only games that we know are in development are an untitled Indiana Jones game from Wolfenstein developer MachineGames, and Bethesda Game Studios has already started working on The Elder Scrolls VI, which is now confirmed to be an Xbox/PC exclusive.