I literally spent the last 2 hours reading this entire thread. I order the occasional release from LRG, but my interest in them is more for their business model and the evolution they've shown (and not shown) in the last year or so. This thread is a running record of a business fighting to carve a niche, carving a successful niche, and then getting smacked on all sides by challenges due to that success.
In a way, LRG placed limits on their growth by creating a "small print" phenomenon. People are rarely buying their games to play anymore, but to collect because of the limited nature. However, right off you see the problem with that from a business perspective. If they continue doing 2 releases every 2 weeks and maintain 3,000-4,000 copy runs, they hit a ceiling on profit. Unfortunately, because of their success, competitors will poach potential releases unless they increase the royalties to the developers/primary publishers. So they need more releases or to up the print runs.
But if they do either of those things, they risk alienating the "gotta catch em all" collectors and the speculative flipper folks.
It sounds like the most anxiety-inducing business model ever.
So I get why the owners occasionally make posts that seem mean-spirited to customers or come off like "buy X game or we don't license Y game." I'd probably need anger management courses. Of course, that could kill sales just as fast as print runs that exceed the demand curve....
This is more exciting than watching Shark Tank for me.
Also, someone needs to make a game where you run an outfit like LRG. Then, LRG can promise to publish it only if we show interest in Breach and Clear Dead Line 2.