I wonder, with modules as complex as they are now, could devs survive without early access to get some money in the door? I honestly don't know, but it's possible they couldn't.
Otherwise you presented a perfectly valid and well reasoned argument, IMO. I think early access is here to stay for the most part though, hence devs need to be more open about what features to expect when, in order to remove the temptation to never finish a module.