No he isnt. Pretty much every single game have a set scope, budget and design before starting production.
I know, i was super vague with my "You are wrong" statement. Let me explain.
I was talking about the about, his lack of knowledge when it comes to CIG's beginnings as a studio and how they had to build and create new /old things that would suit their ambitions. Of course the technical and game production aspect are going to be similar or the same. But that doesn't mean it all applies.
Like a one size fits all type thing. Being modular and making two games at the same time. While still hiring developers and improving the engine, creating new features, tools and keeping update with new tech, as you try to put together builds for backers to play-tetlst in a live battlefield. Instead of a QA or NDA focus group type feedback loop. Changes everything.
This project is very different then the traditional methodologies just on the front facing development aspect alone. Its all a big risk. Something that is being watched by the community and something that almost caught up to CIG in 2015 as a studio. Before they pivoted internally to set down a far more soild plan of action. That was feasible.
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The truth is CIG over the first two to three years. Through crowd sourced ideas and design feedback and their own design thoery-crafting/concepting. Have created hundreds upon hundreds of documents/design docs (some of which may be bad or poorly thought out) and ideas for the game. From cargo, trading, mining, permadeath, to FPS goals, to flight mechinacs...etc a good chunk of those things.
(But the funny thing is, people like Pep and RJ would call that stuff market pr fluff. For whatever reason, when that stuff is the life blood of game development and gives developers a roadmap. Its just being seen, i'm all its chaotic public.)
We're mere ideas and may not have been possible to do back then. From a technical, communication, tool and talent standpoint alone. Now they have such things at this stage and those things will continue to improve and make a good lot of that past think tank session into tangible gameplay or functionality.