What exactly is a game publisher?

I always hear about the developer or development studio, and then the publisher (EA, Activision).  What exactly is the role of a publisher?  Just marketing of the product and financial support?

put it this way, the ONLY thing the developers do is make the game. Anything and everything else is handeled by the publisher who market the game, finance it and reap the profits so they can fund that developers next game to continue the cycle.

developers get paid by publishers to make games, publishers make money from games sold.BrunoBRS

That's what I thought, thanks guys.  Sort of like producers for films.

I always hear about the developer or development studio, and then the publisher (EA, Activision).  What exactly is the role of a publisher?  Just marketing of the product and financial support?

ZionismFTW

My answer was redundant but I wanted to feel useful, so there. ShaineTheNerd

Generally, the publisher provides overhead in exchange for the marketing, revenue, and distribution rights.

Contracts will usually guarantee a development studio a certain percentage of guaranteed money plus performance criteria that will earn them bonuses & a percentage of their end-consumer sales.  Publishers take the majority of the revenue since it's due to their financing investment risk that allowed the game to come to life in the first place.