there's a lot of weight placed upon GW for their prices. it's not entirely fair, but it is usually negligent of one of the main factors: by buying in, you are not only receiving goods, as well as the ability to participate in a number of activities (painting, converting, modelling, and playing all weigh in here)... you are also receiving the ability to belong to something.
this is the problem with significant fundamental changes.
1. we spend money on a hobby, for whatever initial reason. some stop here, and do other things. if the price is too high, it's because you are not invested in it. if you hate painting, then there are other games that don't require it. if you can't find a game, and you're not just into it artistically, then it's not terribly useful to you. it happens.
2. those of us who stay with it see what the game was, and what it is, and we decide to invest in said game. more time, more money, more space, more painting, more purchases, more skills to learn. we have an idea of what our hobby is, and what we hope it will continue to be.
3. editions change, but the game stays fundamentally the same. we see ups and downs, but we stick with it because we still enjoy the game, and we still choose to invest our time and money and resources in it. it's still fun, and it's still in line with what we signed up for.
some see a larger change than they like -- their army, for instance, becomes unusable as they liked it. or something gets squatted. or a new edition fundamentally undermines their efficacy (i have an old Wych-cult army, 2500 points that have seen the table twice in a decade... built in 4th, when you could consolidate into a new combat). they leave, perhaps to come back later. often, they leave and start a new army. many would leave 40k and start a WHF army, or vice versa. others might take a break (i did with the second half of 5th due to crazy-broken ward-dexes making it no fun anymore). that's attrition, and potentially a permanent source of community/opponentry lost for us gamers, and money lost for GW.
4. old rule sets, unless a group agrees to use them, fall by the wayside for player communities. thus, unless you can manage to round up the right people (and enough of them), the "well, just use the old rules!" excuse is pandering and useless. still, it does happen in some places.
it's just not an option for everyone, and it means sometimes getting more involved with group FAQing issues, etc. all gamer legwork that is (theoretically) done by the company. plus, some rules were changed for a reason (see Wych-cult above), and reverting back to the old rules rather than seeing new ones fix problems means tons of statistical data that gets onerous for a small group to hash over.
5. new rules emerge. the game changes. fundamentally changes like it never has before. as in... a force-based rank-and-file fantasy-traditional game becomes a skirmish game with minimalist rules and zero subtlety (and terrible fluff). as in... an expensive, expansive return to traditional historicals and tons of pricey specialist parts becomes a streamlined/"dumbed-down" ruleset. if they stay as boardgame style releases, this is a moot issue... but according to rumor and precedent (see AoS) there is a strong source of concern by invested players, which is what the article is talking about. and what you do not seem to give notice to. what's more, if you make people worried, scared, or angry, they stop thinking rationally (secondary nervous system takes over to a greater or lesser degree), and a perceived loss (of the investment mentioned above) would provoke that reaction.
all hell breaks loose. veteran players stop playing. without a strong community, GW fades. they've already seen a huge loss of veteran players over the years due to bad releases (see WHF's slow sink into financial strain), and a much larger loss of those who bailed due to the many issues of AoS. can they afford to continue alienating their fanbase?
that is what people are afraid that GW will do to 40k with the new product ideas. they don't trust the people in charge now to make good decisions, since there were a TON of dropped balls and mistakes with AoS.
there are also established, interesting, fun rules involving that IP already, and people have invested heavily in them -- HH/30k is the most expensive way to play a GW product short of apocalypse with titans. so to make the most advanced/"adult"/elite game into the cheapest and most simplified is the exact opposite of what the current players -- who do sink tons of money into their collections -- would want.
but, regardless of whether those rules are interesting or fun or whatever, this isn't D&D becomes Pathfinder (see chapterhouse litigation). if the rules are no longer supported by the company, especially if there are incomplete before they are cancelled, that affects how groups deal with them.
it's exactly what they did with WHF, only with more pricey resin models and far better sales indicating that it's not a necessity. and it does not seem like the direction they would go in based on rumors. but those rumors are the same ones we heard before WHF was supposed to drop and the "LOL/JK/FU AoS is it!" was confirmed.
so seeing another similar change means that people will panic about said change.
there is an internal justification for many players that "i can use this, so it's worth it." that's the only real way that many people justify buying a titan -- its not just the product or the prestige, but the collectibility and the use. take away the use by making it a game you either can no longer play (see WHF), can no longer play in a way that you find fun and challenging (see AoS), or can no longer play because the changes sap away players from the base you were drawing from (by conversion, attrition, or apathy) and you cannot find a game to play the way you want to play it (see Oldhammer).
if GW releases a "Space Hulk' or "execution force" style line of board games, and a ton of them are set in the 30k timeline, but FW still moves forward with the HH line, GW will make bank as soon as players stop holding their breath. if they decided to AoS 30k, there will be strong repercussions.
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