I kinda said something similar to this in IRC, and SlickWill added that there's not really anything worse they can do to their reputation, and if Flayra claimed NS was abandoned, we'd all see it as fact, not a joke.
The fact he can't post a positive update on the status of NS would be a good reason to not post at all.
The other enigma is the fact that once (if) the forums come back, people will flock back to some extent, even if it is to ream the team for the delays. But... Charlie's just ruined his chances for NS:S, and possibly for UWE as a whole. Any investment he receives are from people who obviously haven't checked up on his work. Anyone with any business sense would aviod Flayra like the plague after seeing him ruin an excellent game platform with so much potential.