itch.io

Undoubtedly, it is foolish to condemn a developer who is making a game for free, as development is likely driven by enthusiasm. Make no mistake, I am in no way judging the developer for their actions and I maintain a neutral position in this situation. My goal is to explain that the reaction of people who are waiting is completely natural, except in cases involving direct accusations and slander. The fact that the game's audience is so loyal regarding this situation is wonderful, but it is important for the developer to be aware of the consequences of their actions or promises, regardless of how much one pays for the game. Most importantly, the developer themselves acknowledged the mistake of announcing a specific release date. Such bold moves should only be made if you are one hundred percent certain you can follow through. This rule actually applies to almost everything in life. Even from the developer's perspective, I believe such bold and erroneous decisions primarily cause inconvenience to them as well.

In this regard, a person is responsible not only to his audience, but also to himself.

I understand and have taken all of this into account. From my personal perspective, this argument doesn’t really hold up in this conversation. I believe that, regardless of the situation, a person should be held accountable for their words. Such disputes can easily be avoided.
If you’re aware that you likely won’t meet a deadline, you should avoid announcing specific release dates that you probably can’t keep. In such cases, it’s better to keep your audience informed about the development process and avoid mentioning dates altogether if you’re facing challenges.
Unexpected updates are much more pleasant than situations like this, don’t you agree?

The core issue is that setting specific deadlines creates misleading expectations. When these are missed, it naturally leads to disappointment and frustration. The approach to communicating updates should be reconsidered.