I guess they’re giving up on convincing people to download their launcher.
This is the same in Guild Wars 2. They make their money from the shop and by selling expansions.
Oh I know. I was a huge fan of GW1. Wife and I bought GW2 opening day. And while it was an interesting game, it wasn’t for me. I loved the skill system in GW1. I spent too many hours designing skill builds while at work (shhh).
But that was gone for the sequel. I understand why they did it, but I still think it was a travesty to lose something so unique and well thought out.