I'm pretty sure SQ404 was top priority at least for the past 12 months if not longer. Now that they are close to completion, they finally admit it.
Maybe around 2 and a half years ago, Calders found out that CR may have set them up. They did what every investor would do: Talk to the staff. Engineers probably told 'em that the PU is still a decade out if not impossible to pull off.
Calders got salty, demanded a release ASAP as well as a gag order for CR so that they could get their ROI.
Around 2020, CIG tried to appease them with TOW. Didn't work out since it relied on PU server code which is a pile of crap. Calders still insisted on a release. So maybe around a year ago they shifted priority to SQ404 which they knew they could pull off. That's the reason why core mechanics for the PU weren't worked on / pushed back. It's also the reason for all the weird stuff they released instead: pushable carts, bartenders, corpse dragging, coffee, etc etc.: They needed those things because the SQ404 storyline relies on them. And of course, they only fixed those bugs that also appear in SQ404, so that's why some bugs in the PU exist for over a year.
It goes without saying that there's no way to break this to the backers.
They knew the backers would shut their wallet if the PU was openly put on hold, so they acted as if
a) that weird stuff they released was important for the PU
b) the bugs they fixed were the important ones for the PU
b) the stalled development for PU was just slippage/delays because game development
Fanbase swallowed it.
Now that they are close to releasing SQ404, they are more comfortable with the truth and slowly try to come clear. Since they expect SQ404 to rake it in for the next couple of years, they don't give a rat's ass about the SC/PU community anymore - most of those folks already bought SQ404, PU is tabled anyway, and by the time focus shifts back to PU, the salty backers will all be replaced by a new generation of customers.
Roadmap was thrown out for the same reason - they just don't give a damn anymore and I believe them if they say they are annoyed by the fanbase. I mean, who wouldn't be annoyed if someone kept on ranting about something you stopped working on over a year ago.
The company upscaling / new office thing was simply done because they anticipate huge money from SQ404 and also a lot of work coming their way - after all, they need to run a marketing campaign, release Episodes 2 and 3, maybe even do console releases, merchandise and so on.
I for one don't think they are in trouble. If they release their single-player game within the year, they should no longer have to worry about money, even if it's just a mediocre game. Doing sequels also isn't that hard, just some new assets and storyline, just see how many installments they pulled off with the original Wing Commander engine. If they churn out a sequel/spin-off every 2 years it's enough to keep the lights on indefinitely. In case SQ404 turns out to be a massive hit, I wouldn't be surprised at all if they dropped the ball on SC completely.
