As somebody who almost went into the game industry and didn't because of the low wages, horrible working conditions, and just generally poor quality of life, I think I know more about how devs get paid than some rando on the internet.

And I haven't pirated a game since the Bay went down like 10 years ago. I just hate people who get so holier-than-thou because a handful of dollars from their purchase will go towards paying the devs' salaries on the studio's next game while ignoring how much of it will go to stock options for the shareholders and buying the CEO another Ferrari. You wanna pirate games or not, I don't care. Just don't give me this "my money is going to the devs" crap. Because it isn't. That's just the excuse you use for your pearl clutching.

I will happily buy more expensive games that are shorter and with worse graphics than modern AAA games, so long as the devs are getting paid well and aren't crunched. Because my money isn't going to the devs, but it certainly tells the company what I do or don't care about.