Well I really like Yooka Laylee, so I'd give Playtonic the seal of approval.
As for other companies, Tri Ace split from Wolfteam and did quite well for themselves. I like Star Ocean and Valkyrie Profile and their other one off games are normally good too.
Camelot also released some good games after breaking from Sega but they've settled into mostly Mario Golf and Tennis games which while still good aren't the best use of their talent. I'd consider this one working out well though.
I guess Mark Cerny after leaving Atari, then Sega, then Universal Interactive Studios, has done pretty well but not many would thank him for unleashing Knack upon the world.







