Their attitude was "dont let them see the game". CDPR knew the current gen ports were atrocious, and as such reviewers were sent the PC version to review. The console version was unlocked an hour before release, obviously not enough time to write a review, and given the day 1 patch most wouldnt be able to even open the game. Incidentally, you can refund a pre order from sony or MS as long as the download for the game hasnt started yet. CDPR unlocked the console review version right as the downloads started. At that point their 10+ million consoles sales were locked, no more refunds for you!
It was a scummy tactic used to ensure they didnt lose any customers to the far harsher reviews that would have come with the console versions. The PS4 version is terrible, but the xbox one version is completely unplayable. The plan worked, right up until sony delisted the game and MS started processing refunds. CDPR has been backpedaling promising "fixes" ever since, and talking up refunds to save face.
As for the crunch time, the truth is likely in the middle. Yes they got paid, yes they got their bonuses. That does not mean the workplace didnt turn toxic during this time. Remember, CDPR drove away the entire original polish dev team, and the new team behind CP2077 is not beholden to Polish worker laws. Clearly there was more then a "little crunch" going on.
Jim is a laughable SJW manbaby, but many people forget it isnt the SJWs that got him popular. He was willing to attack the industry for its shady practices. He was one of many that took the industry tot task over lootboxes, overt monetization, and predatory game systems designed to get you to spend money on microtransactions in full priced games. Many ask why he bitches so much over garbage on steam, but forget that when Sterling originally bitched, steam didnt have the modern recommended system. It was based solely on clicks, and the garbage from the likes of digital homicide took up the home page for most people. The response from people like jim convinced valve to fix that with the current system, which works much better. He beat that dead horse, but at one point it was legit criticism. Same with greenlight, he beat it, but greenlight had multiple flaws that trash devs took advantage of to shovel asset flips onto the store while legit good games got buried.
And while Jim goes uber autistic over crunch time, it doesnt change the fact that crunch time is absolutely abused in the industry, made possible by a constant stream of new naive workers to replace them.
