There is no evidence to suggest that this game is in development in any way whatsoever. They wanted to create their own engine, became overwhelmed, were too embarrassed to admit it to their supporters and now just leave them in the dark. They received money from people in an offbeatr campaign for versions all the way up to 9.9. After offbeatr was shutdown, they continued to take pledges that promised access to versions 4 and 5. 4 and 5 were never delivered. They shifted focus to this new engine, which appears to be what "version 9.9" was originally intended to be, XStory University.
While there is always a risk in supporting creators before a product is made, if that creator violates that supporter relationship by not delivering on what they said they would, the creator deserves nothing but criticism and certainly not "patience". It's totally fine to abandon a project like this, it's a hefty one. But leaving your supporters in the dark, who have already invested money in you, is a dick move.