Publishers can be a massive boon for developers. They provide a huge advertising presence for one - it's hard not to stand up and take notice when a big compan

Publishers can be a massive boon for developers. They provide a huge advertising presence for one - it's hard not to stand up and take notice when a big company like Sony plasters their front pages with ads about a game. The other benefit is money. Smaller studios often don't have the up-front capital to outright create a game on their own - a publisher can be that stepping stone.