Then it is one less reason to trust MS's own PR. Using downloads and active players as synonyms.
And if you are wondering why am I so sure, it is because the game was never high in the chart last year. The astronomical numbers don't add up, you don't go from 4m active players to 5m total players in 10 months.
At the end of the day, if the games are still supported, I can pick it up on any day have new content and people still playing it... isn't that what matters?
It is, and it is great that most games aren't axed. However, isn't more always better? More players, more heroes, more maps, more skins etc.?
You can no longer play HW2 the way you could one year ago. Super small community, veteran players only, no more updates. The bigger they get, the longer it will take for the game to die.