but they released updates (definitely the pre tech ones and the main story ones at least) after dogeek was gone right? how was this possible if the code was in such a bad state? couldn't they have finished the game more or less using the old code and then do a tech update with a seperate team after it is done (even if the scope got downgraded) while DC and the main team works on a new project?
It was probably 'easy enough' to just slap in the new parts, but the entire thing came crashing down when they wanted to work on the old.
People always say 'but it's just a Ren'py game', but Summertime Saga probably has more shit in than a game of this engine should have. Like mini games, which the engine wasn't really designed for. It's an engine to make text adventures with a couple of branching answers to get different CGs, not sandbox games. I'm guessing it would have needed a serious recoding down the pipeline anyway before it really all came crashing down.