Pete Hines, the Head of Publishing for Bethesda, has announced his retirement. He’s been at Bethesda for 24 years, which is a long time in one place for the video game industry. He is a well-beloved figure and his spot will be difficult to replace.
Bethesda tweeted that Pete Hines would be leaving Bethesda and retiring after 24 years of service to the company and this industry. The public release is pretty straightforward, but there is also a more personal one that came after.
Bethesda released a tweet that had a doctor’s note for Pete Hines. This excuse gives him leave to be free from work and spend time with his loved ones and hobbies. It’s pretty lovely.
Pete Hines also released a tweet about retiring and starting a new chapter of his life. He said that his career was amazing and culminated in “the incredible launch of Starfield, it feels like the time is right.” He said that this wasn’t goodbye and that he wouldn’t stop being a part of the community. He said that he is looking forward to sharing the next part of the adventure with fans.
This could mean that Pete Hines is staying at Bethesda or it could mean that he is officially retiring from the company but still going off to work at another. Maybe he is just vested in Bethesda but is too young enough to get the regular paycheck that comes with it. It is likely that Pete will start his own company or maybe indie work.
His leave of Bethesda leaves him a lot more free than he was before, and idle hands tend to find things to do. We imagine that he will enjoy a short vacation before starting work, and we probably won’t hear about what he’s off to do next until it’s close to being ready. For now, we wish Pete Hines a wonderful retirement and we thank him for his countless hours making some of the best games our industry has ever seen.