Bethesda's head of publishing Pete Hines is retiring now Starfield has launched

Bethesda's head of publishing Pete Hines has announced his retirement.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Hines said he's leaving Bethesda (and seemingly the game industry) to "begin an exciting new chapter of my life exploring interests and passions."

Hines has spent over 24 years at the Starfield, Fallout, and The Elder Scrolls developer, initially joining at SVP of global marketing and communications in 1999. He remained in that role until November 2022, one month after he was named head of publishing.

"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. This is certainly not goodbye by any means. My love of Bethesda and its people has never wavered, and I will never stop being part of this incredible community we have grown," wrote Hines. 

"Thank you to the hundreds and thousands of fans I've gotten to meet and talk to over the last 24 years. Your energy, creativity, and support has been such a big part of my journey. I look forward to experiencing the next part of the adventure alongside you." 

Hines added that working with the team at Bethesda has been the "greatest experience of my life" and said he's "incredibly proud" of everything he and his colleagues have achieved together

Addressing the news in a separate statement, Bethesda said Hines was "integral" in turning the studio into a "world-class organization" and thanked him for his service.  

During his tenure, Hines saw Bethesda become an hugely influential presence within the games industry. The studio turned The Elder Scrolls franchise into a titan of the RPG world, and found similar success after taking over the Fallout series.

The studio's latest release, Starfield, topped 10 million players in two weeks. The sci-fi title is Bethesda's first new franchise in over 25 years, and was arguably the company's most high-profile release since being acquired by Microsoft for $7.5 billion in 2021.