In concept, I agree with Mabrick's point. Despite the size of the fight in HED-GP, it was a relatively small percentage of the total number of people who were logged into the game, and everyone else was pretty much fine (RvB TiDi notwithstanding).
In fact, in the past, I've made similar points - as much as Null likes to brag about how their wars churn the economy, even a casual glance at dotlan shows that just as many ships die in high sec, and on more predictable patterns. Yes, really.
If it were just about appeasing the existing player base, Mabrick's entirely correct in telling that lot to HTFU and organize fights that can actually be played within the technological restrictions of the game in which the fight takes place.
But it's not about player appeasement, of course. Not at all.
It's about marketing.
There's two things Mabrick either doesn't consider or chooses to ignore to make the point he wants to make.
1. The groups involved can generate a huge amount of press about the events in Eve, at will. The Goons in particular are well-documented masters of 'controlling their message', and as the Mittani has demonstrated dozens of times, when you control the vocal output of 10 thousand accounts and probably a couple thousand actual players, you can make a pretty loud noise.
2. Successful, glitch-free monster fights grow the playerbase. A large number of players started playing EVE because of the fight in Asakai - it not-so-indirectly lead to the creation of Brave Newbies, now one of the largest player corps in the game. (Was Asakai really a year ago? Huh.) It's free advertising of the best kind: word of mouth.
So... no. Nothing that CCP is saying publicly with regards to HED-GP is really about player appeasement. The apologies aren't to mollify anyone who plays the game.
It's marketing for the people who aren't playing the game.
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