*DISCLAIMER!* Grumpy old man rant!
It seems to me like GW has really screwed the pooch on this one. The biggest thing they've had going for them competitively in recent years hasn't been their rules, gameplay, or models (though they may have done well in some of those areas), it's been the universality of the game and the strength of the world-lore. Up until recently, you could go anywhere, find a game store, and get in a game of 40k. You just had to decide how many points. Now even the people who are trying to make the best of this edition agree that you will have to have a pregame discussion about what type of 40k you are going to play. I think they just gave up a huge competitive advantage by releasing a rules set that doesn't function well 'out of the box' but requires modding by the community to get anywhere near a balanced game. The fact that most folks will be mixing and matching codeci to build their armies will further dilute the strength of the brand as folks lose the iconic associations with certain armies after years of playing the power-unit blendathon. Sure, right now some vets will be mixing and matching to build their custom fluff army, but what about the folks who grow up in this edition? (Think of the children!) They're not going to bat an eye at seeing the most bizarre mixes of units and armies.
Madness I say.
Now get off my lawn.
*END OF RANT*
I know my opinion don't count for much, having popped smoke on GW some time ago. I just like to find things and complain about them. :)