Is this game as expensive and it looks?
I mean, £11700 completionist package? will anyone EVER buy that?!?
I know at least a dozen guys who have that, some have spent far more than to. These aren't us usual chumps earning £25K/year though, these are millionaires. I might point out that those aren't the top tier of pledge, there is at least one higher one which isn't listed on the site and which can only be purchased after contacting customer services direct.
You can get the game for far less, details in the OP. These guys are doing "pay to own" so they don't have to earn the ships in-game later, the irony is that the instant the game launches the tech in their ships will be outdated as it's all standard equipment, or in the case of the Javelin it's a bare structure which requires weaponry etc to be added later essentially a massive sitting duck.
It'll take very little time for the time rich, cash poor to streak ahead. Those guys throwing money at this just want to give it the best chance possible of completion