By that logic the fewer Alphas that are released on other games must mean more failure.
O no wait....it means in some cases they're doing it right.
GTA 5 - how many Alphas?
Skyrim - same question?
Diablo 1,2,3 - same question?
Even No Mans Sky - same question?
Valheim - same question?
...and many many more.
No - I've been a Programme Manager in IT for 23 years - one Alpha release is acceptable - then a Beta, then Gold. This would be acceptable in a series of Agile sprints over one year.
This smacks of lack of direction and ineptitude.
I will put my house on the fact that if any Alpha on Steam could charge at most £5 we'd have seen a Gold release, fully tested and optimised years ago.
Laziness, lack of direction and ineptitude - end of story. Only in the gaming industry could this practice be gotten away with....and so many paying customers excusing this behaviour.
In MY industry - Fintech - miss a deadline and I can't pay my mortgage end of story.