Fallout 76 Blunder: Pete Hines Recalls His Biggest Mistake at Bethesda

Pete Hines, the former marketing chief at Bethesda Softworks, recently shared his reflections on one of the most infamous blunders in his career—the 2018 debacle surrounding the Fallout 76 canvas bag. He described this incident as “probably the dumbest thing” he had done during his tenure at the company.

Before his announced retirement in 2023, Hines held the position of senior vice president of global marketing and communications. In an interview with DBLTAP, he revisited the launch of Fallout 76’s Power Armor Edition, the game’s first attempt at a true multiplayer experience, which was plagued with numerous problems. However, it was the promised collectibles in the Power Armor Edition that particularly lingered in his memory.

Bethesda had marketed the expensive Power Armor Edition with the assurance it would include numerous exclusive items like a T-51B Power Armor Helmet, a special steel case, collectible figurines, and notably, a canvas West Tek Duffel Bag. Yet, players who purchased this edition at the game’s release were met with disappointment when they found a cheap, nylon bag instead of the advertised canvas one.

This substitution caused significant distress within the Fallout fan community, who felt deceived after shelling out $200 for the edition, only to receive a lower quality item and a modest amount of in-game currency. Bethesda quickly addressed the error by offering affected customers a chance to request a replacement canvas bag through a form submission by May of the following year.

Reflecting on this episode, Hines admitted that his oversight regarding the collector’s edition contents led to one of his greatest errors at Bethesda.

“My initial reaction was, ‘When the f**k did we decide to include a canvas bag in this edition?’ I didn’t approve it because the version I had signed off on didn’t include one,” he explained. “They were attempting to enhance the value of the Collector’s Edition. We often had disputes with the finance department over pricing; I would argue vehemently, ‘We can’t charge $300 for this, it’s downright offensive.’ But in this instance, their intentions were good.”

Hines further explained that the decision to use a nylon bag was due to a canvas shortage. “There was literally a shortage of canvas, and some team members opted for nylon instead. My biggest lapse was not insisting on immediately manufacturing and distributing a canvas bag to anyone who wanted one. I was still upset that the canvas bag had been included at all without my knowledge and that we were facing this shortage. It’s probably the dumbest thing I ever did at Bethesda,” he admitted.

Despite its tumultuous start, Fallout 76 has significantly improved over the years thanks to countless updates and additional content from Bethesda, including a recent CAMP Revamp update. We rated the improved multiplayer experience a 7/10 in our updated review last year.

For additional insights into Bethesda’s history, you can explore Hines’ views on gaming subscription services like Game Pass and his thoughts on the naming of Arkane Austin’s 2017 title, Prey.