This is very true, it's uncertain what would happen if money started to dry up, he might try to put his best foot forward in an attempt to bring people back or give up entirely, nobody knows...That being said, L&P's support dropping wouldn't guarantee anything. He could abandon it or work faster. He could drop the game and start something entirely new, who knows. But as I said, the most comfortable way for him right now is to put in the absolute minimum effort possible without losing or gaining support as he makes quite a bit of money the way it is now. Question is how much slower he can get before people actually start dropping like flies. He's pushing that limit every single year again and again by getting slower. This year so far is an absolute joke in terms of released content.
The only thing certain is that the current situation is not good.