EA was willing to delay Andromeda by up to 5 months if it needed it

1.09 for me. About two months, right? 

EA left BioWare tied down on the tracks, in front of the hate train, and has been silent ever since. 

Yes, but they should have delayed.  Though I like the game, and have to complete playthroughs and one partial, I've lost interest.  I'll need to see some DLC before I pick up play again.  Putting out a game that wasn't ready - for whatever reason - was a bad idea.  Hopefully EA will learn from this.

Do you know when those five months would've been used? Or were they used up after all when they pushed back the release to March? I thought Andromeda was due out November 2016, or is that wrong?

"EA currently expects Mass Effect: Andromeda to release before the end of March 2017, and Jorgensen says it’s going very well."

The article is referencing the March release date.

Then the answer is simple: Who made the choice not to wait the five months? 
...
The complicated ones: How is this going to affect development cycles for the other franchises? Are we going to have let go personnel because we ran over-budget? Will we need to hire more employees to fill in for those that were supposed to fill other roles in five months? Would it be better to release it in March and just expect rainbows? Would it be better to release it in July when there is not a single title worth competing against? Would it be better to just to endure these headaches instead of having to look like incompetent SJWs like YouTube has been saying for the last year? Would it be better to embarrass a studio that has been on shaky ground with fans since EA's acquisition or hold the line for 60 days? If you have investors that are "nervous" about BioWare, then wouldn't it be better to kick that money to the curb and replace them with an investor that has patience? Wouldn't it be better to paint a picture of patience and dedication than displaying a fiesta platter for YouTube's lagging viewership? Wouldn't it be better for Flynn to take the heat in closed door meetings with investors than taking heat globally? Wouldn't have been better to stop and listen to all the departing leads and figure out a better solution than the one presented in March? These are my questions. I don't care how marketing and PR spin this. They're worthless. Unoriginal, ineffective and sleazy enough that would make a jaded porn director blush.

EA, Enthusiasm Annihilated.

A 5-month delay would have had the game release in at least a Patch 1.09 state, and almost certainly better than that as the whole team would have still been working on it, so big yes from me.

I adore MEA and I hate the way it got mauled by the internet, and it just makes me even more sad because I honestly feel all it needed was that one last coat of polish. I know some people have issues with the core story and such, but so much of the backlash and memes and mockery came from basic presentation; animation, character appearances, etc. - all things those extra 5 months could have ironed out.

What I dislike is that the industry is apparently so competitive that too many games get pushed out the door too early nowadays.

I was groomed into a pre-order culture by the media and the AAA industry. I didn't care about the red flags real journalists or serious gaming commentators were raising. If it means I'm supporting my studio... in my case, BioWare, then I'm happy to do it. Here's my money. Ya got anything else? I'll buy some of that too. Then the realization sets in after horrible release (Inquisition for PC), Star Wars: Old Republic (F2P after a year.), Mass Effect 3's betrayal of your pick-a-path adventure's eventual conclusion, every f***ing DLC that is vanilla and we know it, the horrible launch of ME2's Cerberus Network fiasco with GameStop, DA2's recycled environments and horrible marketing, everything about EA as we know it...

I ain't pre-ordering anything (except BioWare because it's not about EA) because it's a scam. A lazy ploy to induce that one percent junkie that will blow their life savings. That's my perspective and I'm not alone. I'm just the last one in my familiar groups and settings to come to that conclusion. I'm pre-ordering DA4 because I still have hope despite what everyone and their common sense tells them. I still have confidence because of 1.09. Those lower-level developers that everyone called B or C team members or SJWs with no real ability are wrong. F***ING DEAD WRONG. They took a mess that their bosses made and made an eight out of 10 using the Frostbite canvas and re-creating EVERYTHING to meet it's fickle requirements. They took a story that was changed in scope and direction just 18 months from release. They managed to use existing VA material and formed it into a salvageable mess that is still better than ANYTHING that Bethesda, Oblivion, Ubisoft, CDPR (yeah, you too bitches.) and any other AAA publisher has put out in the last five years. F*** BOTW, F*** HZD, F*** it all because it's not a custom protagonist with BioWare running the narrative. They managed to polish a colored stone into a diamond.

They patched the game that was a safe, bunt single to a triple. It wasn't a homerun and I guess I'm just coming to the conclusion that may have been the real intent all along. So, yeah... I expect DLC from this same group and I really think it's going to be great. Which is going to be a wonderful lesson that has great results because BioWare isn't stupid. They're smarter than the rest and if you're reading this (pro or con) you know I am motherf***ing right. Those developers that we picked on back in March stayed quiet. They took the abuse (maybe they yelled back, if they did... I deserved it. I'm sorry. I'm learning too from this. I'm only human after all.) and just did what the best professionals do: Get in there, do your job and let the results speak for themselves.

They deserve better than this and EA is so dang (insert every filthy insult you can imagine in regards to employee treatment, unethical marketing and strategies and a whole lot more that's extensively documented this past year alone and in every language because BioWare is global in its' audience) that they're confident enough that BioWare would bounce back from this. And they did. Anyone who denies this is really full of garbage. Pick up the mouse or gamepad and tell me that I'm wrong. You won't without tripping over all the old, tired crap that revitalized a lagging YouTube community that's been said ad nauseum.

If there is a case of Redemption is to be found: It's here. I can't wait for the DLC. I can't wait to appropriate Suikoden's video for my use. I can't wait to download that DLC and see how much experience these developers gained from all of this. I can't wait to spend money on Anthem rather than Destiny 2 or any other co-op game. I can't wait for Dragon Age 4. I know BioWare has learned from Inquisition's mistakes (it's just how they address them, but they will... guaranteed.) and it's going to kick ass. I'm drooling at the notion right now like I'm Pavlov's dog. Yes, I'm a fan, but a fan despite EA. I know there's an identitiy issue there (okay? that's the SJW conspiracy right there) but that's marketing and PR to address, not some freakazoid like me on the internet. I'm ready for more BioWare. Plain and simple. It will always be good enough to better than the rest. That's not smack-talk, that's fact that I will gladly back up with muscle inside a boxing ring. 

griffonclaw, no offense, but please break that up into paragraphs. That's hard on the eyes.

Well, I think the game has a lot of problems, that starts very early in character customization. Then it goes to combat, story, characters, exploration (especially exploration!), menu and craft design... All areas have huge failures. Combat is the less problematic area, but still can't hold a candle to the previous games. 

Man, I'm not sure if Cyan is trolling or not, but it gave me a harmless laugh, haha.