Former Bethesda executive Pete Hines once again expressed his dissatisfaction with Xbox and Microsoft in a recent interview. Hines served as vice president and head of publishing at Bethesda Softworks for 24 years, leaving in 2023, one month before the release of "Starry Sky".
Hines criticized Game Pass and the current state of studios a few months ago. In the latest interview, his remarks became more intense, saying that the image Bethesda currently presents to the outside world is "unreal."
Bethesda 'suffered damage and abuse' under new management
Hines revealed that he wanted to quit after Microsoft completed its $7.5 billion acquisition of Bethesda parent company ZeniMax. He felt he had lost the decision-making power necessary to properly run the studio.
He said that although the company still needed him at the time, he was no longer able to manage it in the right way and protect the results Bethesda had accumulated over the years.
Hines said: "I stayed because I felt like I was still needed here. But I eventually realized that even if the company needed me, I no longer had the ability to run this place the way I thought was right."
Hines emphasized that his original intention in staying was to protect employees and maintain what he considered an "extremely efficient" and well-managed game development and publishing system. However, he claimed that after Microsoft completed the acquisition, the situation changed and he could no longer prevent the studio's decline.
He believes that Bethesda was once one of the most efficient publishers in the industry, but after being acquired, he watched the studio "being destroyed, dismantled, and even abused." Unwilling to experience the process, he ultimately chose to leave.
Criticism of Microsoft's corporate culture
Hines described the experience as one of the worst periods of his career. He admitted that it was very painful for him to join an organization that he originally respected very much, only to finally see how it really worked behind the scenes.
He was particularly critical of Microsoft's communication style, saying the company often makes "scene remarks" in meetings but then quickly forgets them after the meeting.
Finally, he concluded: "I still think Bethesda has become part of something that is hypocritical and insincere. This should not surprise anyone."