Former Bethesda Executive Believes Subscription Services like Game Pass Don’t Reward Content Makers

by

For a few years now, Pete Hines has vacated his role as head of publishing and communications at Bethesda. However, his passion for the gaming industry remains undimmed, and he still holds strong opinions about its current state, particularly regarding the role of subscription services like Game Pass. In an interview with Dbltap, Hines discussed his career in the industry, expressing his view that these subscription services might not be as effective at producing content for their platforms as one might think.

Since I no longer work for any of these companies, my previous industry knowledge might not be entirely up-to-date. However, having maintained some level of involvement, I’ve noticed certain decisions I considered short-sighted in the past appear to be materializing as expected. It seems subscriptions have taken on a negative connotation now, almost like a four-letter word, and it feels like purchasing traditional products is becoming less common.

If you have a subscription model based on content, it’s crucial to strike a balance between satisfying the service providers, those managing the service, and the content creators. Without giving due credit, payment, and recognition to the individuals who generate the content, your subscription will be practically worthless. It’s essential to understand, appreciate, and fairly compensate for the effort put into creating that content, rather than just treating it as a game or an ordinary product. This imbalance is causing harm not only to the service but also to the content creators, who are struggling within a system that undervalues their contributions.

Notably, Shannon Loftis, who has held various roles at the company including VP of Xbox Game Studios, studio head of World’s Edge Studio, general manager of Global Games Publishing, and even general manager at Xbox Entertainment Studios, shares Hines’ viewpoint. On LinkedIn, she expressed that the introduction of Game Pass led to a decrease in game sales.

In simpler terms, Loftis, a seasoned Xbox developer working directly with Microsoft, agreed with Pete’s statement. He mentioned that while Google Play (GP) has some successes, saving games like “Human Fall Flat” from failure, the majority of games on GP gain popularity at the cost of sales in physical stores, unless they are designed specifically to earn money after their release. He hinted at potential future discussions about the internal conflicts this situation presents.

During the same interview, Hines also discussed several other topics, among them the criticized marketing strategies concerning Arkane’s Prey. Hines expressed his frustration, stating that he had faced resistance internally due to his persistent opposition to using that name. As the leader of the charge, he had many team members from branding, PR, and community relations, who felt that they were saddling it with a name where more time was spent explaining why it’s called Prey than discussing the game itself. He lamented losing the argument but affirmed his unwavering commitment to convincing others otherwise.

To put it in my own words as a fan, I’d say his observation was that Bethesda missed a golden opportunity with the marketing of Prey. Instead of the “wasted excitement” we saw, they could have effectively highlighted aspects like its title, gameplay, narrative, and themes to create a more engaging and informative campaign.

Read More

2025-09-08 16:32