Also, some people might be forgetting that this announcement is not only for marketing or thanking their fans but also to diss other companies for not respecting the consumers.
It's a direct message from them that they too, like the consumers, hate the way current gaming industries are heading. Marcin even said it himself in the announcement. So the timing is just perfect with all these AAA game releases.
Seems to work though, a lot of people are saying they're getting the game for the sake of that message, not the game itself.