I always wonder if maybe the devs are wanting an out from finishing the project but still want the cred for working on it. So they make the announcement fully knowing Nintendo will come down on them which will then alleviate them from having to complete the project.

The DD disks were writable so I don’t think CDs would have been a good alternative back then as CD burners were still decently expensive at the time.

Yep, I’ve had two die on me, both within a year of purchase, for no real reason whatsoever. I’m never buying that brand again.