Bethesda Softworks - Finding Success Were None Should Be

Bethesda's Pete Hines has been interviewed by Destructoid about the reasons why games Dishonored, Skyrim and Fallout 3 were a success as they are contradicting the trend in the gaming industry.....

The game industry tells us many things in order to justify its various activities. Multiplayer is added to so many games because solo experiences are dying. Online passes are needed because used games are killing creativity. Creativity is dead because new intellectual property is too difficult to establish. 

Despite these claims, there is much evidence of success to the contrary. Single-player games that sell well, releases that survive without scads of launch day downloadable content, and companies that are doing just fine without having to wage war on the used game market. 

In my opinion, Bethesda has been one company that really goes against the grain. As a publisher of what's called "AAA" games, the company has had success with such games as The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Fallout 3, and Dishonored -- each game bucking "AAA" trends in some way or other. 

Why, exactly, is Bethesda able to get away with it?