Pete Hines says he left Bethesda because he didn't want to watch it being 'damaged' and 'abused'

For an awful lot of years, Pete Hines was the face of Bethesda Softworks: For game journalists first, as the company's marketing and PR guy, and later the public at large, when Bethesda started holding its own standalone showcases at E3. In terms of public awareness, he was pretty much the number-two guy behind Todd Howard; he was at the company for nearly a quarter-century, and made enough of an impact that when he left, it was a pretty big deal.

A few years down the road from his departure, Hines sat down for an interview with Firezide Chat Gaming, covering a range of topics from his early days at Bethesda—his first credits at the studio, listed on Mobygames, include writing the manuals for Sea Dogs, PBA Tour Bowling 2001, IHRA Drag Racing 2, and a little something called Morrowind—to what he's been doing with himself with all the free time he now has on his hands.

Hines also shared some thoughts on his final months at Bethesda, and what prompted him to leave—something he says he didn't particularly want to do—and while he doesn't speak the name Microsoft, it's not a difficult connection to make.