Spooky could pull a Dutch Pinball, better to see if they are successful building what they promised. It will be a long time before the first machine rolls out.
It would be better if they had stock ready to purchase, this buying smoke and mirrors hasn't played out well in the past.

I am a big fan of Spooky, you need to remember that every Pinball Manufacturer that flew off the rails were just as trusted, said the same reassuring things, otherwise would not have received so much pre-order interest and deposits. I am not attacking Spooky, if it came out that way I apologize. Nobody knows what the next 18 Months will bring.

Is this from first hand knowledge or just another opinion among thousands?

Heighway/Alien comes to mind, so does Dutch Pinball. Again, I like Spooky games. It's just that every time issues come up people say never again. The somewhat unique way new machines are sold Months before assembly/delivery has lead to problems. This applies to all the current Manufacturers.
It is not good Manufacturing Practice to take more orders than you can reasonably produce in a certain allotted timeframe. Spooky was correct in their decision based on internal criteria. I'm certain production numbers will be re-visited in the future.