I think that it doesn't just involve more pressure; it's just really difficult to make a game that could live up to the extremely high expectations people have.

I think that it doesn't just involve more pressure; it's just really difficult to make a game that could live up to the extremely high expectations people have. It takes time to come up with good ideas after all. I completely agree with your point that a little hierarchy is necessary to get things that absolutely need to get done finished. On the other hand, as a developer I can also see how you wouldn't want to release something unless you are confident it'll be great. The difficulty is finding that balance, but given that they intentionally chose to stay private, it seems to make sense the company culture is to focus on the quality of the product. I'll admit I kind of admire the freedom from time pressure they have.