I'm here wondering, are you even one of the people who donated something or subbed at their patreon? Either way you're not making any sense, this game is literally free, there's no paywall behind it or anything, not even a "cheatcode" only for patreon or people who donated, because yes, is DONATED, is an appreciation towards Kal and whoever is also in the team if there's more, there's nothing extra for people paying at least when it comes to Starmaker, I'm waiting for RS2 because from what I've seen is going to be a really amazing game when it comes out.
And yes, I understand the frustation for getting a date and then being delayed, but you have to understand that Kal is also a person, someone who has a life and can't always be in either Starmaker or RS2, and sometimes things happen that are out of your control that makes you delay stuff even if you don't want to. You speak of "people guilt trip with the "free game" narrative", but you're practically trying to do the same with the "Starmaker is the one making him money", and even if is the one making the money, you should understand, again, that they're DONATIONS, not obligatory but appreciated.
Just wait, if you're busy irl you literally don't even notice the days when the game isn't out yet, the game is amazing but you can't be just pressing F5 all day in case something changes.