That is not the only way for it to happen, if there is no word from the devs, or if they say it's abandoned, there are other reasons for why it could be marked. And the rules changed over covid.I did not know that 18 months was the line. I thought I had seen games marked abandoned at six months without update.
So, is he still collecting donations?
I would assume so, he has a lot of expenses right now. They are "donations". He is open about what he is doing, and people who want to pause their patronage, they can. But he is still working, the supporters are still getting test builds, things are progressing, it's just slower than we would all like.