Actually... what has Bethesda Game Studios done that ANY of the studios alongside them under Bethsoft haven't already done better? Forget succeeding other developers, can they even succeed the subsidiaries working within the same company? *sigh*
Could be the combination of ideas that is unique. Sandbox world. First person gameplay. Interaction with the vast majority of NPC's. Being able to interact with tons of items and shit in the world. Being able to "create your own adventure". The way leveling works, the way the UI is like, the way you can loot everything from enemies and wear it. The way you can read books in TES. Small things that combined add up into an experience no other game out there is able to give you. Sure, there are other first person sandbox games out there, but do they offer the exact same gameplay mechanics that Fallout 3/4 or TES offers?
That's why I think Bethesda has a strong fanbase. Because even though their writing is shit, even though their worlds are extremely scaled down and propped full of repetition, even though the RPG mechanics keep being stripped away; They're still offering a very specific gameplay experience no other series out there offers.
Let me put that into context. We have many top down shooters out there on the market. But Hotline Miami is unique. No other top-down shooter has the exact combination of elements that it does. The Miami style, the music, the way the game feels like an acid-trip, the ambiguous narrative, the way doors work, the way enemies work, the way weapons work, the way your character's playstyle can change depending on the mask/character.
Nuclear Throne is another top-down shooter which I have a hate/love relationship with but it is also completely unique in what it offers. They're both top-down shooters but the way they work are very different from one another.
Even if other studios out there produce first person sandbox RPG's unless they produce something that is a 1:1 copy of Bethesda's design (only better) those fans will still cling to Bethesda they are the only ones who provide what they demand.
I love cRPG's but just cause I love cRPG's does not mean I will automatically love every single one of them. It's all about the combination of ideas that make the perfect whole. Fallout 1/2 for example, what other cRPG out there is truly providing the exact same experience that they do? Wasteland 2 doesn't. It's far more like Fallout Tactics than 1/2. Underrail comes close (very very close) but it is still doing its own thing. There hasn't been any series out there that I feel could "replace" Fallout 1/2 for me.
Difference between me and the Bethesda fans is that Bethesda is still providing what they want. I've accepted that I will never get the exact same experience again. It's over. But Bethesda fans still get what they demand, so why wouldn't they defend them? They don't really care about the writing, the RPG mechanics or consistent world design. They care about the other things, the smaller things which combined make up an experience unique to Bethesda.
Anyway, to make this short, what has Bethesda done that no one else has done better? The combination of certain gameplay elements that add up to that unique Bethesda experience.
It's a style I have a hard time putting my finger down on but I see it is there and I see that no one else has been able to provide any true alternative.
