Bethesda head of publishing Pete Hines has announced that he's retiring after 24 years with the company.
Speaking via his personal X account earlier today, Hines said he's aiming to begin "an exciting new chapter of [his] life exploring interests and passions".
According to Hines, the decision wasn't an easy one to make, but "after an amazing career, culminating in the incredible launch of Starfield, it feels like the time is right".
This doesn't mean you'll stop hearing from Hines, however; he says he will "never stop being part" of the Bethesda community, so you'll likely still see him around from time to time.
Bethesda responded to the news on its own X account by praising Hines' "authenticity, integrity and passion" and calling his contributions to the studio "integral".
Pete Hines first joined Bethesda in 1999, at which point the studio's reputation for expansive RPGs hadn't been established; after all, Morrowind was still three years out.
He went on to oversee landmark Bethesda releases like The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Fallout 4, and, of course, Fallout 76, which he would later blame for the subsequent delay of Doom Eternal.
Hines was, of course, one of Bethesda's key executive personnel when Bethesda's parent company, ZeniMax Media, was acquired by Microsoft for $7.5 billion in September 2020.
Of course, that acquisition somewhat pales in comparison to Microsoft's recent purchase of Activision Blizzard and the staggering price tag that carries, but Microsoft's ZeniMax merger still stands as the fourth biggest gaming acquisition ever.
It's not clear what Hines intends to do now that he's retiring, but it's likely he'll be pursuing his own personal hobbies and interests, which, of course, probably still include gaming.
In any case, Bethesda has yet to announce Hines' successor, so stay tuned for more info on that as and when we get it.
