I wonder though if we are putting more weight on analysing Relic's words and actions than they do on writing them
Maybe. I haven't followed their Communication with the community closly over the years. I'm sure stuff are lacking if so many are angry. But I know of other games where the Community complains about too little feedback from the developers as well. So it doesn't seem like an exclusive thing by Relic. And where patterns can be discerned, there are usually reasonable explainations to be found, there usually are. They did create an extraordinary game didn't they? How to do that if there is no passion or will?
I do remember with great approval the work put they into the final patch for CoH1, a game that was way past its prime. Should Count on the plus side for supporting their product and not just abandoning it. It's not reasonable to expect neverending support either.