Okay, I hear this a lot, but at the same time let's think about it for a moment. How many independent developers of note can you actually think of who release the variety of things Obsidian does, and actually gets attention as a notable developer. Offhand I can think of Obsidian, Double Fine, and Platinum Games. They've all been screwed by multiple publishers, and they all have the reputation of "if they keep having these bad deals, is it bad luck or is it them?!" Maybe the answer isn't neither, but just that being an independent developer who doesn't have a rock solid IP to keep working on, and hiring over a hundred people, is just a shitty ass position to be.