Here are some of the problems that I see that have led us to this point:
Problem #1: Publishers push the devs to finish by a deadline. If the deadline comes and goes without any product, the devs may get dropped by the publisher or fined. Since the devs, in this case, are already having financial problems, neither option is desirable. The result is an unfinished, buggy release. The devs probably put in 7-day work-weeks just before the release, and now they have to put in 24-7 schedules to fix what they couldn't before the release.
Problem #2: Reporting a game isn't finished is deceitful, but almost any release is a work in progress and has a lot of bugs, especially from a small company. Be happy that both the publisher and devs are dedicated to this release and patching it quickly. Many gaming companies are happy to release something broken and let players sit on it for months before it is fixed. (Case-in-Point: Creative Assembly) The answer isn't more delays due to pressure from both consumers and publisher. The devs also have a financial problem and could definitely use the cash injection to possibly hire back layoffs to help fix the project and get to work on expansions and DLC.
Problem #3: Most consumers have no idea what's going on behind the scenes and will speculate, assume the worst, accuse, etc. They will blame greedy corporate heads sitting in their ivory towers smoking Cubans and counting cash, when in truth, the company is scrambling to try to fix problems that crop up, apologize, address hundreds of emails and forum posts, and maintain the company image in the worst of times. Additionally, the devs are a smaller company, not some huge corporate fat cat. If you want to continue to kill small companies, then don't support them, and instead, support the huge corporations that don't care about all your ranting and raving. (Note: The 'Occupy Wall Street' protesters are going to hate you though.)
Problem #4: As technology advances, consumers are demanding more complex game content, strategy, diplomacy, graphics, sound, computer AI, etc. The demand on developers is enormous. Consumers simply salivate to ravenously consume the product, and like a pack of hungry wolves, have no mercy for the weak. You could wait another 6 months to get a perfect game, but then other releases will make the new "perfect" release obsolete. It's better to release something and fix it as you go. The consumers can often help through mods, constructive feedback, and helpful suggestions. Modders are a critical part of any gaming community, since they are customers increasing the value of a product for free. However, modders need the product to be released before they can join the devs in fixing the product.
Problem #5 (for the publishing company and developers to consider): Consumers are generally unforgiving due to the fact they expect a certain amount of value for the money that they paid. When the value falls short of expectation, this can cause consumers to express their post purchase dissonance strongly. However, consumers are people who often have a lump of muscle in their chest that thumps many times every minute. This muscle is called a heart. If you want to appeal to the hearts of a consumer that is upset with a failure, you must provide as much information as is realistically possible about efforts that are being made to solve the problems and how you are attempting to get that expected value into their hands as quickly as possible. Then you must follow through on the information you provided. [I recommend that you devs and publishers look up "service recovery paradox" to learn how to make disgruntled customers even more loyal than if you had released a flawless product because your customers are extremely disgruntled. You have a great opportunity here to improve customer loyalty!] Stating that you are "working on it" isn't enough. Direct consumers to developer blogs, release patch notes for the next patch, offer freebies or discounts on the next DLC for those who pre-purchased, etc.
The bottom line is that providing more information about what is going on is going to make things much better. This includes providing your PR department with this information as well so they can pass it on. Many companies put their PR department right into the teeth of the angry customers with no power or knowledge to address the problems beyond simple, "We're working on it. Sorry about this. Please, be patient." Be positive and work hard as a team to fix problems, but remember that customers will co-create value with you, so leaving them out of the loop can make them very irate even after the problems have been solved.
Final Thoughts: I, for one, am impressed with the hard work and dedication by the publishers and developers throughout this crisis. I do hope they will be more transparent in their efforts to solve this problem though. I will continue to keep an eye on goings on, and possibly use it as a case study for my marketing students.
