I think the difference is that these particular devs have a horrible track record of missing previously established deadlines. Yes, triple A companies do it too, but they tend to do it once or twice in their lifetime and are (usually...) transparent about why, whereas here all we get after a missed deadline is complete radio silence until whenever the release happens.
Now, it's easy for us to say "I don't care about delays as long as quality holds" because, chances are, we're playing it for free, so we get to enjoy it while losing nothing. If I was a paying patron, I would definitely be miffed at the consecutive, silent delays, and consider withholding support in favor of more consistent devs.