The publisher of this is somewhat scummy* so I wouldn't doubt whatever this is being completely planned/manufactured to get in the headlines. Or at least the idea being originally pushed by the publisher to "boost engagement" on Imgur/Reddit.
*= Publisher having a decent amount of games, using multiple accounts for unpaid self-promotion on Imgur (to the point I assume they either made devs do this or pretended to be them) on top of crowdfunding+early-access. Also one of the published games was de-listed on Steam temporarily due to a license dispute with the creator (who now has the rights).