Does mobile gaming still need publishers?

GUEST: Every game needs a publisher, whether you do it yourself or hire another company for that role. Publishing is a skilled task, a necessary step for any game to find success. But what criteria determine whether a developer needs an external publishing partner (someone to finance, market, and distribute their game), or not?
It has never been easier to self-publish via the App Store or Google Play, but uploading your app is just the beginning. What about the marketing and PR savvy, media cont