In October 2023, Pete Hines stepped away from Bethesda Game Studios after almost a quarter of a century at the company. In a lengthy statement, the industry veteran explained it wasn’t a decision he made quickly, and he felt that, with Starfield having just launched, the time was right to depart and move on to whatever would come next.
However, it seems that the truth has been bubbling within Hines ever since. In a recent interview, the recognizable former developer was remarkably transparent about why he left Bethesda and what place the company has under the Microsoft banner.
‘My Mental Health was so Deplorable’
In an interview with Kirk McKeand on the new Firezide Chat series, Pete Hines went in about his time at Bethesda Game Studios, revealing intimate and pent-up thoughts about why he left the company.
He suggested he didn’t exactly want to leave, as it was extremely difficult walking away from the team, but what the company had become under Microsoft simply didn’t interest him anymore:
I was staying there because this place still needs me. I just hit a point of yes, it needs me, and I am powerless to do what I think needs to be done to run this place properly, to protect these people, to maintain what we worked so hard to create, which is an incredibly efficient, well run video game developer and publisher.
When I was unable to do what I thought my job should involve in continuing to have that place be, you know, if not the most efficient publisher in the game industry, it was way the f*** up there.
And when I couldn’t protect it, and I saw how it was getting damaged and broken apart and frankly mistreated, abused, whatever word you want to use, I said I am not going to sit here and watch this happen right in front of me.
He then explained that Todd Howard, his friend and colleague for more than 20 years, was the only one who knew he was leaving the company for such a long time. He stressed that, with each new Starfield delay, his departure was pushed back several months, and that weighed heavily on his mental health.
I think I’ve done everything I can do. This is not when I wanted it to end or how I wanted it to end, but that’s not really up to me. And at a certain point, truthfully, my mental health was so deplorable that I just said I cannot.
Under Microsoft, Pete Hines said that Bethesda Game Studios ‘is not authentic and is not genuine,’ following that up with a bold statement: ‘And that shouldn’t be a surprise to you.’
Microsoft acquired ZeniMax and Bethesda Game Studios, amongst other firms, in a massive 2021 takeover. The move has never sat well with some veterans, and that includes Pete Hines, who departed the company two years after the acquisition.
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Grant has been gaming for 30+ years and in the industry for 10+. You'll probably find him playing a post-apocalyptic game or an extraction shooter somewhere.
More from Grant Taylor-Hill
Bethesda getting rid of Hines is one of the best moves they did in the past 10 years.
He was horrible for their company so of course he wants to throw shade at them now.