I can see a little of what you're saying, NHawk, but correct me if I'm wrong:
You see a cycle that starts with a huge influx of players, which degrades the playability of the game (specifically net issues and more candidates for gaming the game type players as well as ungentlemanly griefers), which, in parallel, makes the game more lucrative to be bought out (high numbers = higher income) at the same time the original developers are getting more grief from the players on game issues such as freshness, update frequency, etc.
This leads to a decision to sell, but like most clueless business men, they don't understand the dedication and degree of maintenance needed to ensure a continuingly successful product. Like a businessman who buys a farm and reaps the harvest only to be dumbfounded to discover that he needs to plow, till, plant, and wait to continue to cash in harvests next year.
This, in turn, leads to less and less investment in the game or the decision to pass on the problems to a different, unsuspecting, business. And this cycle eventually leads to the demise of the game since competitors will arise to answer the complaints of the current player base.
If this isn't what you were saying or implying then you can skip the next part, since I endeavor to answer these concerns. It certainly seems like a valid concern looking at the history of AW and now WB.
I talk with the HTC folks on a regular basis so I sometimes get the scoop, but more importantly, get a handle on the personalities involved. I can't tell you everything but I can tell you this: HiTech and Pyro are very,
very smart boys. I've always been impressed by their ability to anticipate problems as well as solve unexpected ones rather quickly. A glance at the patch history will confirm this. But, in essence, they had already taken steps to break the cycle outlined above.
HT and Skuzzy are already adressing the net issues, Pyro and HT together have always (and are continuing) to bring freshness to game with new options are varying game choices, SuperFly and Nate continue to improve the look of the game so it's more competitive with other games, Ronni is expanding and improving the support programs for more player involvement, and JoAnne keeps the business on track and viable.
But the key thing is - the cycle is broken at the beginning. They are addressing the issues of a rapidly expanding player base NOW.
Every simmer goes through periods of melancholy, when they look at the game like a person looks in the mirror on days when they're depressed - searching for wrinkles, gray hairs, and other imperfections. But keep in mind the other days, when you're singing along with the radio and the mirror only shows your good looks and
Cut body.
Damn, man, look at those guns! -sudz
PS I also used to maintain two accounts for the same reason - peace. However, I wasn't fleeing pestering questions and excessive chatter, but the ridicule
