I'm a little surprised this hasn't become an accepted practice yet... Tons of game developers fail to complete their projects for one reason or another, and the open-source scene for PC games is practically non-existent (actual games, not middle-ware). I wouldn't expect publishers to ever open-source unfinished games, but for indies that don't need to protect their IP, it seems like it would be a pretty great move to open-source your code and assets under a non-commercial license, if you can't complete a relatively mature project.
It seems to me that it would be beneficial to everyone involved... but maybe I am missing something.
It's because so often they leave it reluctantly, hoping to finish it sometime in the future. I also think there's the gaming community in general has a culture that puts ideas on a pedestal as this great commodity that's inherently valuable.
It seems to me that it would be beneficial to everyone involved... but maybe I am missing something.