Facepunch studios. Rust is updated each and every month. It also started in EA in 2013 and was "gold" Feb 2018.
I love 7 Days to Die -- it's my favorite game, by far. I've been playing since Sept 9, 2013. But TFPs are at the other end of the spectrum from Facepunch. Can't you at least admit that professionals are able to meet timelines? It's juvenile to hide behind "We can't miss a deadline if we don't make one." All you're really saying is, "We have no idea how long stuff will take because we're not professional enough to know" or something like that.
I love 7 Days to Die in spite of the dev team. I'll keep playing and be excited for each new release. But I don't have to keep defending them for their poor work output.
One question for all you: How'd you like to get monthly updates -- both small and large -- on 7 Days? Don't tell me it's not possible as that's exactly what Facepunch delivers on Rust. Hell, I'd settle for twice a year updates, but if history is any guide, I'm sure TFPs would have trouble hitting those deadlines.
I, personally, am a developer. (Admittedly, not in the gaming industry.) But I have seen companies do this, heck even Microsoft (who I am not a fan of) tries to do this with "Patch Tuesday." The developers that do scheduled releases are not any better at time management then other developers without a strict release schedule.
Even with a scheduled update... A few days before the release, the developers and management gather and discuss the upcoming (scheduled) release. They discuss the stability of each and every part of the release. If a single part is not ready for release, they pull that piece and delay it until the next release. (where it may or may not be delayed again.) Usually at least one thing is ready for release they package it together and ship it off for a regular release. So every month usually has a release.
Users are happy because they get something every month... "
Wow, I guess they are still working on it." However, if they are waiting for a particular piece to be released, they can still get frustrated... "
XYZ still wasn't released this month; when will they get off their butts and finally put it out there, I have been waiting forever."
Another bad thing about scheduled releases is dependencies... If the new electrical system is not ready, it means anything that requires it has to be delayed too. (i.e. if the power changes aren't working, you can't release the new lights, the new electrical doors, or anything else.)
So scheduled releases are not any better than unscheduled; users can still be frustrated by both. One *might* be better than the other depending on the situation, but honestly it comes down to whatever the team is most comfortable with.
That being said, I am quite happy with TFP devs and how they manage releases. Yes, as a user, even I want it released yesterday, But I will patiently wait until it is ready and be happier with prioritizing quality over speed. (THANK YOU DEVS!!!)