I really hope it's not just an excuse
It's not.
People don't remember that Vrel has been non-stop pushing updates out monthly. He's not once announced a delay, and has never done so before. He really doesn't like when people wait any longer than they have to for new updates. It's something he feels bad about constantly when an update is even ever so slightly late. He sometimes has to cut content until it's ready for a later update because he didn't meet a deadline. The Kylar Halloween event is an example.
Anything you hear about him ditching the game is complete bogus, I've heard others say it. In fact, it's the exact opposite. If anything, Vrel is
too passionate when it comes to things like this. But that's not a bad thing.
Good thing is that progress is going well, but there's still notable things left to do yet. Think of this update as the culmination of the "arc" of the farmlands area, starting all the way back with 0.2.13. That's why it's taking a while on Vrel's end at least.
Please don't get the wrong idea. There's no excuses here.