Publishers are a interesting beast for the video game realm, in my opinion. Without them, it is a crapshoot of whether a game will succeed in a marketing and manufacturing environment. Some publishers prefer a more hands-on approach with development, which may end up making the game worse than before. To me, some of the best are Bandai Namco, 2K Games, and SEGA. Some others, like EA, Konami, and Activision have a reputation for meddling, purchasing and subsequently closing development studios, and causing game to take a dip in quality.
Personally, I find more comfort in the indie scene. They may lack some of the refining that other backed companies may create, but make up for it by making thought provoking and trend-setting media.
Diamonds in the Steam 