Bethesda's Pete Hines: 'I have banned the word replayable because that's not a feature'

- Bethesda's Pete Hines discussing replayability. 

In an interview with IGN, Bethesda's senior vice president of global marketing and communications Pete Hines discusses the company's position on single-player experiences and choosing to play Fallout 76 solo.

Hines admits how talking about Bethesda's affinity for protecting single-player games has started to get old.

"But single-player is part of who we are," he explains. "We're also the folks that make Elder Scrolls Online. We make Quake Champions. We make Elder Scrolls: Legends. But single player is part of who we are.”

With the beta for Fallout 76 looming on the horizon, Hines points out that he enjoys playing the game solo, despite it being the first Fallout to be a shared-world experience.

"I just go out and explore,” he says. “I decide whether I'm going to try and do some big quest or a personal quest like putting a scope on a rifle I just went through the trouble to repair...I'm in this world where I'm just trying to survive, and I feel like I'm alone. I feel like I'm playing Fallout by myself.”

Fallout 76 may be hard to define, since it's advertised as an experience that can be enjoyed solo or with a group.

A common concern for single-player games revolves around replay value, and Hines notes that the company's approach to single-player specifically has shifted away from the single value notion of replayablity.

“We have a joke in the office. I have banned the word replayable because that's not a feature," he says. "Every game is replayable. Tetris is replayable. Every game can be replayed from the beginning. That’s not unique. That's not a feature.”

Instead, Hines wants players to feel a sense of value when they make the purchase.

"What is going to give the player that feeling of value if they buy this thing? How do we show them all the stuff they can do and how long they can play it for? It’s an evolution of thinking.”

The interview was part of a larger conversation around Bethesda's stance on single-player games and Fallout 76, so be sure to read the entire piece over at IGN.