I think this comic about Dota used to be shared back in the day:
This is quarterly economy at its finest, comrades! The release calendar is pretty much set once the season pass goes on sale, and once the date is locked in, it’s full steam ahead. Content is released exactly when decided with sales, marketing, and finance—not an hour off. When a real salesman sells, production factors are just in the way.
But the world keeps spinning; this is how it has always been, more or less. Great Wave actually reminds me of the old Paradox.