Yesterday, Bethesda veteran and head of publishing, Pete Hines, announced he would be retiring after 24 years of service at the company.
In a follow-up to this, Phil Spencer and some others within the Xbox family have thanked Hines for his contribution to the Bethesda family over the years. Xbox and Bethesda have been working together since the days of The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind on the original Xbox.
Phil Spencer: "Wishing Pete Hines all the best in his well-deserved retirement after 24 years of being at the heart of Bethesda and its family of studios. Thank you, Pete."
Aaron Greenberg, Xbox:"What an amazing career and legacy you have created Pete with Bethesda. Always enjoying working with and learning from you over the years. Your insightful passion for games and how to bring those storied to life was infectious across your teams. Hope this next chapter is filled with lots of happiness for you."
Jason Ronald, Xbox: Thank you for all you have all done for Bethesda and the broader industry. An end of an incredible run. Congrats on your retirement and we will continue to commiserate over the love and frustration that the USMNT provides all their fans.
Mike Ybarra, Blizzard president: "Thanks for all the fun in so many great games, Pete."
Bethedsa: "Pete’s contributions to our history and games are well known, but they have never compared to how amazing he is as a person. A true friend who’s always there for anyone, and we’ll always be there for him. Congrats on completing the main quest, but there’s a lot more to play"
Pete's departure follows on from Bethesda's successful launch of Starfield, with the new IP becoming the company's biggest game launch ever when it arrived on Xbox Series X|S, Game Pass and PC last month.
Last week Microsoft and Xbox also announced the acquisition of Activision Blizzard had been successful.