I certainly can understand Drew's PoV. Elite, particularly with the Odyssey launch, hasn't been developed as much as it has been tortured into existence. I don't mean to be, well, mean, but I have never seen a game so botched by its own developer - at least, not without publisher pressure (which doesn't apply here because Frontier is their own publisher). Elite has been a comedy of errors that has succeeded despite Frontier's best efforts and not because of them.
Having said that, I think the franchise is now at a tipping point. Odyssey remains something of a mess (but I am hoping Patch 8 will be the one that sets things right) but if it can be fixed, I think it will provide a foundation for content more interesting than what it offers now (i.e., a cut-rate shooter). If Frontier does salvage Odyssey, I think the franchise could be in a very good position going forward assuming - assuming - that Frontier doesn't revert to form and start phoning it in again. I think Frontier understands how close they came to scuttling their own ship, so I expect them to remain on their best behavior until those player numbers start coming back to what they were pre-Odyssey, but there is no guarantee, of course, especially when dealing with devs that have demonstrated a preternatural ability to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. It might be too optimistic on my part, but I think that 2022 could - could - be a very exciting year for the franchise if Frontier uses the rest of 2021 to get it to a proper condition.
So, I get Drew's frustration, but I think it is premature to bail on the game. Not yet. Yes, Frontier has made some dreadful decisions both for content, lore, and release candidates, but the Odyssey fiasco might have finally snapped the dev team out of their multi-year stupor. Perhaps.
As for Elite not being what Drew wanted it to be, I get it. Same for me. But here's the thing: there isn't a single space game out there that even comes close to what I want my space game to be. And I don't expect to ever find such an all-encompassing game in my lifetime, well, not unless we reach a point where we can have AI custom-design content for each player on demand (we can dream....). To be a space game fan is to compromise. Elite isn't perfect, Lord knows, but it still comes closest to what I want from a space game. If we quit Elite, where do we go? Yes, I enjoy NMS and Eve Online, but not as much as I have enjoyed Elite. So, why cut my nose off to spite my face? Why quit as long as there is a chance that Frontier can fix this mess of their own making? If nothing else, they certainly seem to be trying.
Anyhoo, my two cents. Again, I understand why people are throwing in the towel with the franchise, but I really think they should hold on for just a few months more. The near future will seal the fate of the game, for better or worse. As long as there is a chance it will be for the better, I will stick around. Time is running out but there is still time.
