Bethesda sets the stage for a deer race, tempting gamers to request a Starfield break

The gaming world never lacks jokes, both from gamers and game publishers' staff. While corporate executives often maintain a serious image, it doesn't mean they can't have a sense of humor. Bethesda is no exception—aside from the big boss Todd Howard, we can also mention the release director Pete Hines.

The latest joke from this director on the Starfield launch day—the company's newest product—is posting a complete doctor's treatment certificate on his Twitter account. Both the Twitter details and the sick leave confirmation form contain embedded trolling details. In the form, Mr. Hines signs himself as a doctor, but right on his Twitter account name, he writes a parenthetical statement saying “not a doctor.” The content of the letter also includes a passage stating that the reason for the illness is an infection from being bitten by an Ashta during an exploration on the Tau Ceti II planet.

All these details are not outside the purpose of creating a joke and also implicitly affirm that these documents have no real usability. Because if done too realistically, undoubtedly many gamers will use it to request leave and stay home playing games for real. This is not the first time Mr. Pete Hines has played this prank. When preparing to release Fallout 4 in 2015, he also posted a similar leave request form, but that time it was much more hastily done.

Baldur’s Gate 3 pulled a similar stunt ahead of its release by sending gamers a leave request form. This is a type of leave request for employees to switch to participating in another important community activity, such as joining a significant holiday, fulfilling civic duties, or similar tasks. However, in this form, it states participation in the “Baldur's Day” commemorating the release of Baldur’s Gate 3.