My point is that Square used to have a fanbase that would buy anything. Spirits Within, Crystal Chronicles, Revenant Wings, Final Fantasy Fables, etcetera. If it had the "Final Fantasy" name, it would sell, period.
I know, because I used to be one of those people. If I hadn't been, I probably never would have picked up XIII-2. I wouldn't have even looked at Advent Children (and even then, I only caught the Complete version a few years late) or Crystal Chronicles (despite the fact that I really like that game overall, I only looked at it because of the name).
Currently, Square does not have that kind of fanbase. Their customers are a lot more guarded and discerning. Which is, overall, a good thing for consumers. It's not necessarily ideal for Square, though. The purpose of a business is to make money, and they're starting to deviate so much in quality, consistency, and overall mechanics that fans don't know what to expect from the franchise, and are guarded against it.