I think they'd receive more flak for regarding the game in it's current state. As it is, they're giving you exactly what they say they are: a still in development game. People who are still buying into the game do it knowing the game is still in development.

I'm an early backer of the game. I got suckered into a ship upgrade during a "sale" within a year of backing the game. I'm not upset about that. But I think people who got suckered into spending hundreds of dollars on ships early on have more legitimate complaints than folks buying in right now. Early on, it wasn't known how it was going to go down. There was a lot of hype. But now, you know what you're getting.

And yes, I fully understand that backing games is risky, and we shouldn't pre-order games. I've changed a lot in my buying habits in 10 years.

I think the legacy of the game will entirely depend on how it turns out. If they end up releasing a game that people love, all will be forgiven.

It's not early access, you're alpha testers and pay for it.

Once the game releases, if it ever releases, youll likely have long stopped playing.