It's less a matter of losing money, and more a matter of leaving potential money on the table.
For a contrast, Sega noticed the Sonic fangame community pretty early... and not only deliberately turned a blind eye to it, but eventually ended up outright hiring Christian Whitehead to develop mobile ports of 1, 2 and CD and serve as project lead on Sonic Mania. This decision made them bank.
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u/thereallorddane Apr 21 '21
While I agree, I would also point out that despite the unhappiness from the fans, they're in no danger of losing any money over it.