Publishers can have effect as you cannot publish your game without their investment. Publishing and distribution is the key element of any retail thing. It literally affects how much you sell. Therefore, they push the deadlines, force trends etc according to their own adgenda and studios usually have to submit to their will in order to be able to release their games
@ KLAW
EA has demolished and f.ed up around 10 studios in the last 15 years so every BioWare lover is on edge. Dragon Age 2 and Mass Effect 3 didn't help to ease this feeling at all.