[jwrallie]

Exactly, the extra effort to complete it is worth it, but it is costly. I think this can be explored in a positive way by selling incomplete things cheaper to the end user while using this money to sustain the development of the last 20%. I think Minecraft is a well known example of applying this model that was fair for both the developers and end users.

[Cthulhu_]

While I don't believe Minecraft was the first, it did set the stage for the early access model of development, which fits in great with agile development practices and sustainable practices as the developers can release their vertical slice or MVP, then continue development and correct it based on customer feedback. One example of that is Factorio that has been in development for over a decade now, providing value (enjoyable gameplay) the whole time while also getting continuous development and new features as well as a huge and lively modding community, which in itself translated into their major DLC (based on one of the bigger and more popular mods, they hired the developer and probably a few more people from the modding community).

They're "finished" with it now though, after years of weekly updates they've gone quiet in November. But, they're also working on a new game.

[fmbb]

Minecraft has been rebuilt multiple times (Java, PS3, Bedrock) and is still not done.

I have not seen the code bases from the inside but I would be very surprised if not a lot of it has been touched in recent years.

I firmly believe any sense of accomplishment comes from what you give players, not how ”complete” your implementation is.