Dubious Quality

Hmm. Let's see if there's anything more concrete: 
"As we move into the polishing phase, we're fully focused on optimizing and fine-tuning all aspects of the gameplay experience to deliver an unprecedented cinematic adventure," reads the accompanying blurb. "To celebrate this milestone, we have gathered our core development leadership from around the globe to share what this means." Senior game director Richard Tyrer adds in the footage that "this is the final phase of gameplay iteration before we fully transition into optimisation and stability on the road to release".

There's quite the hubbub over this announcement today. No one is commenting on what this really means though, even though it should be clear.

They're starting to run out of money. 

It's true that polishing could last for as many years as they wanted, but as long as the cash flow was consistent, there was no reason to announce this. It could just be in development for another ten years and people could keep cashing checks and collecting bonuses. 

If the money coming in slows significantly, though, you have to present something more tangible. The revenue gain from actually releasing the game must be projected to be greater than incoming donations (or whatever they're calling them. JPEG ship purchases and whatnot.). This hasn't been true for the last decade.

I said a few years ago that this game would be in development until the money ran out, and then Squadron 42 would get pushed out with all kinds of fanfare, no matter the kind of shape it was in. I believe that's still true, and I'm waiting for the article that connects the dots and explains their financial situation.