"To be fair, being "held ransom' by publishers is very much a choice a lot of the time, a choice that at least the "higher ups" at said developers have made. Don't act as if it's a crutch to them as it's easier to say yes and sign to a publisher than it is to truck through the trenches to maintain 100% creative control.
Did us not signing with a publisher bite us in the ass? Yes, at least in the immediate in regards to the launch of the original 'ORION: Dino Beatdown', but it was a bullet we had to take and endure and we kept our indie credentials as a result and were able to make the game we truly wanted, ORION: Dino Horde.
I can tell you for sure that if this WAS a publisher arrangement and it was based on the original Dino Beatdown you would never have gotten the sequel, 'ORION: Dino Horde', much less a free upgrade to it.
While you don't have nearly as much financing or marketing allowance, you do have complete freedom to make anything you want - even if it's as crazy as Space Marines fighting Dinosaurs with Jetpacks and Flamethrowers.
I always vote going indie, for better or for worse. And while we've had a rough start out of the gate with our first game we are coming in hard and hot with this new game and will stop at nothing until it's the game that you all deserve and the game experience that we know it can be. "
- David Prassel
the big question is, if you do sign with a publisher, Who do you want it to be?
If that ever did happen it would be with someone small and someone that is NOT comfortable or safe as that allows for an ignition of creativity and risks - both of which are very exciting in their own ways.
In terms of real life entities that exist right now I unfortunately cannot think of one. I am sure there is one it's just not something we've ever put much thought into as that's not the reality we would allow.
That all being said I hope to one day have Spiral act as a publisher for middle-realm games like the categories we started off in and currently fill and offer other indie developers great and fair deals as we have displayed such as the ones with our consumers (DB being $9.99, free DLC, the free sequel, etc).
Of course I think of one right after I finish typing. I would absolutely be honored, thrilled and grateful if I ever had the chance to work with Double Fine. I absolutely love Tim Schafer and have for as long as I have been doing video games and he is everything RIGHT about this industry.