@Rofus Going south is one thing... their recent and ongoing PR disaster is more like a excursion to the South Pole. I get it on some level, crap happens. They were ill prepared, ill advised and still tossed the D20's rolling double 1's. Then they took vacation like we wouldn't notice. They hired some people to take on the jobs they ultimately failed at. Can they fix what they have broken? Technically yes, and I hope they do. Sadly the MMO market is fickle, people even get a hint of trouble and they run and it is doubtful they will ever turn back. Crowd funding has run its course, and the wreckage of the hopes and dreams burn with the flames of scams and horrible mismanagement with extensive pillars of smoke made from massive delays. People almost expect AoC to fail now.
Fractured is a different beast. They never claimed they were reinventing the wheel. I hope that Fractured will cure me of my Diablo addiction, it is embarrassing.