I mean they became successful by making Totally Not Warhammer: The Video Game and Totally Not Warhammer 40K. And I’m pretty sure those people are long since gone away from the company. Companies are like the Ship of Theseus. When every plank has been replaced, it’s not the same ship even if it looks like it is.
They became a successful company by producing amazing games. Games like Warcraft 1, 2, & 3, Starcraft, Diablo 1 & 2 were straight-up fantastic games. The fact that they borrowed heavily from existing fantasy art and literature does not have anything to do with their gameplay merits. Fantasy is a genre that is always borrowing heavily from previous material. Did Warhammer invent Orcs and Dwarves?
To your second point: I agree. They’re not at all the same company that they once were.
