Honestly, your paragraph is far too optimistic, as you underestimated Doggiebones' determination to keep this game alive, underestimated the patrons' determination to keep printing money at his lap and overestimating the death row of the game itself.
The more cynical point of view, that even you would have to admit Mal, is that Doggiebones will always have thousands of dollars sucking dry from his discord, throwing just enough eyecandy to make them believe. Hope all you can, it will not change the minds of many of those too sunken in the cost or are simply too money-dumb to stop subscribing. For every dozen or so who've given up every month, hundreds are ready to throw their wallet at him.
I think my 2nd paragraph from my post you've replied is far more likely. A past-his-prime dev too complacent to reform his working routine and too rigid to pivot from this franchise, let alone game.
