"I think there's just something about the culture or the way independent studios are organized or run which kind of puts them in a unique position to maybe take more chances with their products and innovate more," [said Pandemic president Josh Resnick.]

"Frankly, I think that this is a very important issue moving forward in this next generation; a company's willingness to take this kind of risk."

It's hard to argue with Resnick's point. Risky endeavors that trail off of the beaten path are what push mediums forward. They're also what make large organizations fall flat on their asses if the risks aren't rooted at least somewhat in good business sense (i.e. reality).

One common thread between the three main example companies in the article is that, though they are all independent, they all have a more stable structure or source of funding surrounding them. Insomniac has its long standing publishing relationship with Sony, Bioware/Pandemic is facilitated by investment group Elevation Partners, and Foundation 9 is a collection of largely autonomous but mutually beneficial studios. These structures allow such companies to avoid working under a strict publisher relationship, but still shoulder some of the considerable financial risks generally involved with lacking such a relationship. These secondary funding sources may prove to be the way to go for independent studios as the industry evolves.