What has remained 100% consistent is a desire to transition patrons to "Melody".
From a business standpoint, the present situation appears to be the one that allows the most future options for MrDots. He takes a shot with "Melody" and gauges overall patrons' reactions. I'm guessing patronage levels will start dropping especially before Episode 3 (or even Episode 2).
Then it's BIG DECISION TIME. If he stays on Patreon, he is doomed with his rep in tatters. He may decide at that time that ANY revenue from DMD is the best solution. Or he sells off the DMD franchise to another studio.
The dev-teamer who comes here,
@Aitan_3 , is a HUGE shill. Last time he was here, he said this Patreon mess was a "crisis". In the language most of us speaks this means : HUGE CATASTROPHE.
So the dev-team is quite aware of their situation. That's great news for us fans. There is at least some chance they will see that DMD MUST be continued...somehow...