I think since Vetex had over 100k people playing on release day he could of had retained 50% or more players or maybe even got more traction than 100k players if the game was in a polished, better-yet-finished state. If AO had lost/ancient magics fs legendary weapons legendary ship battles finished storyline etc etc, I think it would have been one of the most played games on Roblox next to Blox Fruits since it still wouldn't be a mobile game like Blox Fruits neither would it be as simple.
I think AO still has a chance to redeem itself to the player base that had left and is still appealing to new players daily. I think Empires Update is where AO will pick up momentum again. It will then catch major momentum at full release, where we'll probably notice the game getting really hot again. I think the momentum pretty much keeps going till Vetex is done developing the game because there's still a lot to look forward to.
The current state of AO is pretty riddled with bugs but I’m sure Vetex will solve all the major ones before Empire releases. I think I speak for most when I say IM REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO EMPIRES AND EVERYTHING TO COME AFTER WERE ABOUT TO WITNESS PEAK