Paradox had to back down two times recently because their fanbase WASN't taking any shit that they thought was detrimental to the Image Paradox build up for 2 decades.
Also this.
The only way Paradox could pull off a controversial move like going EGS-Exclusive for whatever stupid reason (instead of pushing their own launcher which they have) is with a game that's
truly revolutionary for Grand Strategy. Like, a Victoria 3 that
more than lives up to the expectations behind it.
Because uh, unfortunately for Paradox, their best games are already out and their newer games have been on a trajectory of dumbing-down and/or launching in de-facto Early Access states that don't feel complete until at least 2+ years of DLC.
So yeah, if Paradox did something as monumentally stupid as switching to EGS with a title that's par for the course with their current offerings, their fanbase will just stick with the current paradigm of CK2/EU4/Vic2/HoI4.
I mean,
shit, most of the hardcore Hearts of Iron fanbase still swears by HoI3 and Darkest Hour over HoI4. Paradox fans aren't strangers to holding out on a new Paradox game until they feel the new one is in an acceptable state - Being exclusive to Epic's half-broken resource-hog store would be yet another example.