I had this issue with a game before, I think a Blackheart game, cant remember. But the issue is tied to muting the volume. Specifically using the 'Mute All' button. So if you have mute all selected, regardless of where volume sliders are the animations will be black screens, with no errors...
While I love some good ol' Mother/Daughter my personal preference is Father/Daughter. Hopefully turning that daughter to mother and then it really gets fun. lol
I think it depends on how popular the game is and how long it has been around. A 2 week game doesn't justify a rushed ending but a 2 year game might. Also, a game with just a handful of players vs thousands.
With all that said I think I prefer abandon over rushed ending, but that may be because...