Sponsors and merchandising partners don't care about what mod devs you've got in your stable or how hard you had to fight to keep them there. They care about the size of your playerbase, how loyal that playerbase is, and whether it's growing/shrinking/stagnant. Giving the players the short end of the stick will hurt the bottom line whether the money is coming directly from them or not.
and that's part of the reason so many support this: its precisely laid out, and is being done to keep FTB going. its not a money grab, and its not a "hey, were adding this shop, you now gotta buy access"I appreciate how specific you were about exactly how you plan to get money and exactly where that money is going to go. I feel like this is a wonderful step and I hope it blows over well with the people who don't like it. Good luck and keep up the good work!