The estimate indicated is coming from information here, where someone said he could see on Patreon how much DL receives a mont (various thousands of USD).
You can search for it, I had asked explicitly if the person indicated the monthly amount because they could see it on Patreon, and they confirmed (in some profiles on Patreon is possible to see how much they get a month, in others, not).
Someone else indicated it took three years to do "Lara" at that monthly income, which gives the estimate.
It is simple maths, though at the same time, I completely agree that the estimate is a very broad one, because it assumes the monthly budget was roughly constant over the three years, and here I have no evidence for or against this assumption.
It was the time when I was deciding whether to sponsor.
How much each person gives becomes irrelevant when the conversation is about the overall budget, and your indication about "proving that there were only 4 people who reached this level" follow a fallacious logic.
You assume everybody that is a certain level will like the post. There is hardly such a rule (I am also sponsoring some games on Patreon, so I have direct experience), so, using the likes to a ascertain how many people are at a level on Patreon or Subscribestar, is at the very least as approximate as the 720k estimate you rejected.
Additionally, you are talking about Subscribestar, but the other sources spoke about Patreon.
About accusing him of taking too much money, or even worst, "defrauding" (which is a crime), don't put in our "mouth" words we did not use, especially heavy ones like accusing someone of a crime.
The 40 USD a month I indicated for my own individual reference on whether I would sponsor him or not, were based on information from this forum.
If I was wrong and one can get access to the full video without having to be on the 40USD level for the whole three years development period of e.g. "Lara", happy to know it, though what you indicated does not really seem to contradict this information.
At the same time, putting aside the crime reference, even about "taking too much money" are also not our words.
I said if it is 40USD a month for three years to get the video, is too much for me , and probably others like me, not that it is too much in absolute and that he is asking too much in absolute, I cannot talk for everybody else, and he is free to set what he deems his work is worth.
If people are paying for it knowing how much they are paying and what they are getting, they cannot claim being "defrauded" (to use your reference).
The forum is about the videos, to express appreciation for the work, share it, but there is no rule forbidding to also express criticism or do a certain degree of speculation, a certain degree of freedom of expression is still guaranteed
