I dont know if it was so much "fix the game" as it was just adding a lot more stuff to do and tweaking the procedural system to give people a lot more of what they want to see.
Also if you take a year after releasing the game to actually deliver the game that’s bad. It’s good they fixed it but what a dick move of them to have that much to fix in the first place. It’s like they sold people a tree and a year later whittled it into blocks.
They definitely were in over their heads and over-promised during the hype cycle, but think of it this way: They could've just said fuck it, and taken the money and run. They deserved every bit of criticism they got for releasing a shit heap, BUT, at least they cared enough to fix it and deliver on what they initially promised. Didn't charge a dime while doing it either. That is more than I can say for a lot of other, more established developers. Honestly, I think it's a good redemption story.