Among all the discussion (and most of it likely very insightful) I don't see one thing being mentioned. Maybe new TF2 purchases had slowed to a point where they

Among all the discussion (and most of it likely very insightful) I don't see one thing being mentioned. Maybe new TF2 purchases had slowed to a point where they felt giving it away and focusing on in-game purchases was simply comparative, if not preferable? I love the robustness of TF2, and Valve has been awesome about continuously providing new content for free, but, it's something to consider.