Doesn't matter for how long they were being made cause the time spent on a movie/game doesn't necessarily mean you'll get quality. It's ready when it's ready is always better than - deliver it even if it's broken/crappy.
The time it takes pissed everybody off, nobody is happy about it, not GBX not Sega not the fans. All we can do is wait, yelling at them won't move the game forward.