Former Bethesda Senior Vice President of Global Marketing and Communications, Pete Hines, has opened up about what he considers the single biggest mistake of his 24-year career at the studio. While Hines has been a central figure in Bethesda’s growth and success, his most painful memory stems from the troubled launch of Fallout 76 and the controversy surrounding its Collector’s Edition.
When Fallout 76 released in 2018, it was widely criticized as one of the most disastrous video game launches in modern history. Players were shocked to discover that the game lacked traditional NPCs, suffered from game-breaking bugs, and presented a host of design issues that left fans feeling betrayed. To make matters worse, the premium Power Armor Edition, priced at $200, became infamous for delivering an item that failed to match its original marketing: the bag included was nylon instead of the promised high-quality canvas.
In a recent interview with DBLTAP, Hines admitted that the incident still weighs heavily on him years after leaving Bethesda. According to Hines, the inclusion of the canvas bag in the Collector’s Edition wasn’t even something he originally approved. “My first reaction was, ‘When the hell did we add a canvas bag to this Collector’s Edition?’ Because the version I signed off on didn’t include one,” Hines explained. “They were trying to add value to the package, and we were always negotiating with finance about costs and margins. Their intentions weren’t bad, but it completely backfired.”
While Hines acknowledges that the shortage of canvas material created the situation, he believes his biggest failure was not acting quickly to correct it. “I should have immediately demanded that we produce proper canvas bags and send them to every player who wanted one. But I was so annoyed that the bag had been added without my knowledge that I didn’t react the way I should have. Looking back, it’s probably the dumbest thing I ever did at Bethesda.”
Despite stepping down from Bethesda nearly two years ago, Hines admits that the Fallout 76 debacle still lingers in his mind. However, he also notes that the years since launch have made the controversy easier to reflect on. Bethesda has steadily worked to overhaul the game through major updates, new storylines, and live content expansions that have significantly improved its reputation. What began as a cautionary tale for live-service launches has since become a success story about persistence and community engagement.
In 2025, Fallout 76 is a much different experience than the one fans received at launch. With regular updates, stronger support, and a loyal player base, the canvas bag fiasco feels like a relic of the past. Yet for Pete Hines, the lesson remains: transparency, quick action, and communication are just as vital as creativity in game development.
