This makes me think of the games industry. I wish the B or C-tier "6.5/10" games could keep game studios afloat long enough to show us what they've really got to offer.
This phenomenon also reminds me of Maslow's hierarchy of needs. You need security and a minimum degree of comfort in order to be creative and productive. If throughout the development process you're on the verge of shutting down, it shouldn't come as a shock when you produce 6.5/10 "bad" game.
Back in the 80s and 90s, many series now regarded as classics started out with mediocre entries, which were built upon in subsequent years. I feel we've lost this for the most part nowadays. I think Early Access games on Steam are an effort to get something like this going again, but they're on the opposite end of the scale in terms of the pressure to deliver, in that they tend to be too lax.
