That's quite possibly true now, though I'd argue that is largely because game publishers killed the goose that laid the golden egg by shipping tons of totally broken games and ruining the idea of pre-ordering. Likewise I think that process could be reversed by showing fans that the company brass actually gives a damn about their product enough to delay it when it needs more time.

Nintendo is a fantastic example of this, I would say this happens to a good chunk of their titles, Zelda especially. Yes it's always a bummer, but Nintendo also hasn't had an Arkham City or a Division where the game comes out half finished, full of bugs, with the promise of "we'll patch it later."