It's surprising what a small team can accomplish, but there are some projects that need a large team to be feasible. It would be nice if there was a clear path on how to grow a game studio and continue to deliver quality.
They are very selective and you need to come at them with a fully formed game idea but once you get in it's completely hands off. No managers breathing down you neck, all you have to do is ship on time and they take care of the rest.
You get enough funding to grow your team, make a big project and go fully independent as a mid size studio if it's successful enough.