E I've got a video on my brand new Ipad
*hint, hint* Does that make it official that my initial assumption that the game was going mobile, is correct?
"we did an RPG once and all involved got fired"
So, you did have a meeting with EA lol
There's a strong tendency not to make RPGs among the publishers that haven't made X-loads of money with a RPG in the past, and a strong tendency to stick to the IP's they have among the publishers that did make money with RPGs, meaning that there's very little chance some independent developer will get the opportunity to make something big and new in the RPG space.
Its always been the case, 'show us you've already done it and we'll give you the money.' What's sad is many times all you need to do is recruit an industry leader to be your CEO and you get all the funding you need. Its no better guarantee of success, but often times it equals money.
Of course, you could do it the internet way-- mindshare (or was that Minecraft) FTW. Create the most awesome demo known to man, YouTube it, get a billion views and generate mass buzz. Oh yes, the dreaded spin machine.