Big publishers have completed taken control.
Just look at the fuss the Battlefield community is throwing the general direction of EA, and they are entirely correct.
Publishers are completely micromanaging the development teams, dictating every detail. It's all about trying to out-do the other big publishers, gain market dominance in any given segment (obviously the goal is to own every segment... ugh).
The gaming industry used to be a solid success in terms of financials, but now, the market has grown exponentially, and we continue to grab grab grab every major AAA title... and the overall market shows a complete willingness to subscribe to a yearly release calendar for some genres, and the publishers are pushing with all their might to get everyone and their grandma to buy each successive release.