Personally, I'm basing this inane fear on the Activision Effect.
The publisher buys the IP rights for the game, from the developer, then proceeds to make a sub-par game to milk sales, and it only sells because of its name. Gameplay and story are terrible, and the game engine is bugged to hell. Typically, such a game will take a year or less to make.
I'm talkin' to you, Call of Duty: World at War (and, I'm betting Black Ops, as well).
You might say Frank O'Connor is working for 343, but that means nothing. He cares more about the money than the game, it seems. Otherwise, he woulda stayed Bungie-side, instead of brown-nosing 343 for his increased salary. (And, honestly, storywriting credit goes to J. Staten anyway.)