The role of a games publisher
It’s possible that a game project you’ll be working on will have a publisher other than your studio. The relationship between the publisher and the studio can either be internal (in which case they own the developer) or external (the publisher is connected to the studio).
Whatever the relation to the developer, the publisher will not only release the product under its own name and market it but also very likely cover all of the development costs. Deals and royalty structures vary greatly, but in most cases, publishers are the ones who keep the cash flowing between all involved parties and are the ones who are set to gain (or lose) the most.
Publishing can get very complex; sometimes, more than one studio will work on a single game, and other times, an external owner of an intellectual property (IP) will be involved (the IP itself can be a brand, a book, a video game, or a movie universe).
When a publisher is engaged in the project...
