Nintendo. You guys know how much of a risk it was to push Luigi instead of Mario? Could have ruined the company.
Personally, I wouldn't really include the big publishers here. As Kresnik said, how big of a risk is it to try something new when you have quadruple-A stuff coming out in November?
As for developers, they ALL take risks when they're new, as they're looking for that franchise that will turn them into a success. Someone like BioWare or Bethesda, they changed the industry, but now they're about sequels more than anything else.
Seriously, I don't know how to answer this question any other way than thatgamecompany. Not a single one of their games sounds like it would be popular on paper but they went ahead and made them, anyway.
