Could be true, i also know that a lot of people have never even heard of the game.
So have I. The question is, were they prime targets for this particular genre? I.e. they love WWII flight-sims almost exclusively and have been looking for a online venue to compete PvP for a monthly subscription?
Just some random FPS gamer is not going to be convinced to switch over to something like AH, so it doesn't matter if they've never heard of it.
I've talked to other friends who haven't heard of the game, but they were like:
Them: "So it's just WWII? No jets or helicopters?"
Me: "well, the are some WWI planes too, but no one uses those.
"
Or
Them: "So it's just airplanes? No infantry?"
Me: "well, mostly. There are some tanks and jeeps, and boats, but yeah, it's mostly focused on airplanes.
"
Or
Them: "So is there an offline campaign? I don't really want to fight other people online. I just want something to dink with for an hour after work. I'm no ace."
Me: "well, there are some offline AI missions for practice, but no real campaign mode.
"
Or
Them: "So you have to keep paying? Every month? You can't just buy it? Nah. Wife would never go for that and I wouldn't play enough to make it worth it."
Me: "well, there is a two week free trial."
I don't know how Battlefield does it. I bought BF4 in ...2014? $60. I've played tens of thousands of hours on packed servers ever since without spending another dime. And the servers are still packed 6 years later. I guess they just make it on sheer volume and new releases and the percentage of whales that buy every map pack content. But the new maps get rotated to free eventually. I'm patient.
Never the less, that is what AH is competing against. Same with IL2. People prefer Free with IAP or flat purchase with occasional content upgrades. There are games with subscription models, but that is a much harder sell definitely.
3 Hour Side Switch Timer!