Last I checked, I am a consumer, not a publisher. I will purchase a product. That doesn't mean I spend money developing it, especially when I'm about 99% sure SOE has this backed. If I did invest money into a project such as this at some of the pricing they are asking, it would be a company investment where I would expect a return on investment in the like of company stock or profit sharing. If I spent $10,000 on something to shake hands with a few folks and design a dungeon/raid without anything else in it for me from a monetary perspective,Ishould also have my internet taken away by court order.
If he comes out with a decent enough game in what I have been looking for, I will purchase it. That's his reward. Not sure how that is leeching since he would get a box sale and it's a subscription based game so obviously would be receiving subscription revenue as long as I play it. If he comes out with a pile of shit, which unfortunately is very likely knowing his history and this genre and what will likely be the publishing company behind him, I would wait for it to go free to play while SOE microtransactions the shit out of it if I am bored.
Good luck to the guy. I am sure he has battled his fair share of demons. Out of all the relics, where there is literally 0% hope between Rich Vogel, Matt Firor, Dave Georgeson, Paul Sage, etc because they have never once in their life actually faced accountability, I think Brad in there somewhere has faced a couple things. At least one would hope. Which makes me about 1% more optimistic than if it would be the same good ol' boy group chasing the dream of 1999. Which even with EQNext, it is.