I think there would be less backlash/frustration if 0.6 had actually come out.
Not sure if it would help as much now, but I think it would have made a big difference if it had been part of the previous announcements.
Ideally the initial (2024) one.
Having a huge cliffhanger/reveal, teasing actual progress of the next release and then announcing the hiatus was what really left a bad taste in people’s mouths.
If the June 2024 announcement had gone along the lines of “Version 0.6, when complete, will be the last release in the current form” would have softened the blow considerably.
Failing that, even last August’s announcement stating the VN being discontinued but shadow dropping the 0.6 release would have been better.
But just dropping the project the way it was done will never sit right with me.
Unless someone is backing out of the creator space entirely, and therefore doesn’t need to give a damn about the audience opinion, this just is not how it’s done.
It implies a certain lack of respect for the audience which, in turn, doesn’t really encourage a great deal of respect for the decision.