Tue. Sep 9th, 2025

Former Bethesda Marketing Boss Pete Hines Fiercely Opposed The ‘Prey’ (2017) Title

The 2017 game Prey stirred confusion among fans due to its title, as it bore no connection to the earlier 2006 Prey game or its canceled sequel. It has since been revealed that Pete Hines, who was then the head of marketing at Bethesda, vigorously fought against the decision to name the game Prey, a battle he ultimately lost.

“Я определенно разозлил некоторых коллег внутри компании, потому что так упорно боролся против использования этого названия. Я был во главе, но у меня была большая команда – брендинг, PR и сообщество – и мы чувствовали, что обременяем игру именем, из-за которого мы тратим больше времени на объяснение, почему она называется Prey, чем на рассказ о самой игре,” — рассказал он dbltap. “Я сожалею, что проиграл эту битву.”

Хайнс добавил, что никто не боролся так яростно, как он, в попытке “изменить мнение по этому поводу”, но в конечном итоге ему не удалось добиться своего. Он был настолько увлечен этим вопросом, потому что считал, что компания тратит драгоценное время и энергию на оправдание названия игры вместо того, чтобы сосредоточиться на продвижении ее инновационного геймплея и функций.

“I definitely annoyed some colleagues internally because I fought so hard against using that name. I was at the forefront, but I had a large team – branding, PR, and community – and we felt we were burdening the game with a name that made us spend more time explaining why it was called Prey than actually talking about the game itself,” Hines explained to dbltap. “I regret that I lost that battle.”

Hines added that no one fought as fiercely as he did to “change minds on this,” but ultimately, he didn`t get his way. He was so passionate because he believed the company was wasting valuable time and energy justifying the game`s title instead of focusing on promoting its innovative gameplay and features.

In stark contrast to Hines`s view, Raphael Colantonio, the game`s director, had previously conveyed to GameSpot that the name carried significant thematic relevance, even in the absence of a direct narrative link to the original Prey or its discarded follow-up.

“Ну, это был вопрос, во-первых, трудно найти название для игры, и это хорошее название – звучит хорошо,” — сказал он в 2016 году. “Я думаю, что ассоциация, которую люди имеют с Prey, заключается в том, что это игра про пришельцев на космической станции, и это игра от первого лица. Когда мы начали, название было доступно, и связи было легко установить. Мы просто подумали: «Хорошо, имеет смысл», и так оно и пошло.”

По словам Колантонио, “концепция высокого уровня” Prey 2017 года была “достаточно похожа” на корни франшизы, что, с творческой точки зрения, делало выбранное название “осмысленным”.

“Well, it was a matter of, first, it`s hard to find a name for a game, and it`s a good name – sounds good,” Colantonio said in 2016. “I think the association people have with Prey is that it`s about aliens on a space station, and it`s a first-person game. When we started, the name was available, and the connections were easy to make. We just thought, `Okay, makes sense,` so there we went.”

According to Colantonio, the “high-level concept” of 2017`s Prey was “similar enough” to the franchise`s origins, making the chosen name “make sense” from a creative standpoint.

For additional context, a different iteration of Prey 2 was once under development by Human Head Studios but faced cancellation in 2014. The original Prey, also developed by Human Head Studios, made its debut in 2006 for PC and Xbox 360.

As for Pete Hines, he concluded his extensive career at Bethesda following Microsoft`s acquisition of its parent company ZeniMax and is now enjoying his well-deserved retirement.

By Bramwell Nightingale

A Toronto-based gaming journalist with over eight years of experience covering the North American gaming industry. Started his career writing for independent gaming blogs before establishing himself as a reliable source for breaking gaming news. Specializes in AAA game releases and studio acquisitions across Canada and the US. His investigative approach to gaming industry developments has earned him respect among developers and publishers alike

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