Even though IMO Afflatus is some of the nicest string sampling in the last 2 years since CSS.
I wouldn't call either library "overpriced" (notice, that's a word I avoided in the previous post) because they have much more sample content than cheap libraries like Adventure Strings. It's not that they're too expensive, it's that the features which make them more expensive, are not pulling their weight in the competition with cheap "it only does one thing, but it gets it done" libraries.
Interesting to hear your thoughts about this, Noam. Like you, I wouldn't be worried on Cinematic Studio Strings behalf; maybe CSS even was a major factor I'm making it harder to sell products in the circa $800+ range, since they worked hard at making CSS good and still sell it for what they sell it for $400. Some companies make a lot of extra money by reducing their price, and a lot has happened in the VI market the last 5 years only.
I'm not pessimistic about OT either. I have no idea how they are doing financially, and it's of course hard to keep up with Spitfire many campaigns, products and (at least in periods) active presence here. But Berlin Strings is circa 5 years old now, is still highly respected, sounds good, and has features that AFAIK no others have. Maybe OT felt that they could have sold a lot more of their Inspire and Ark products, and want to do something with that now - hence the new sale.
The days of selling a single orchestral department (especially strings or brass) for $500+, or single instruments for the equivalent add-it-up price, are over forever.
Regarding Afflatus/Berlin, I don't really see Afflatus as a single product. One can configure it in so many ways that not only does it serve as both a chamber and a symphonic product and soon first strings, but as a modular library where you can combine the different presets to get pretty much any configuration you want. Like SSS and SCS, SAS also has more ensemble options than OT. So the Afflatus selling point isn't being feature rich like Berlin Strings - it's something else.
Maybe Strezov, like Audiobro (LASS and SAS has many similarities) plan to do what Audiobro does with LASS: it has a high list price ($1400) but is 'always' on sale. Or maybe they'll keep the price, and at some point in the future divide the library into for instance main sections, ensembles, expansion kits and first strings. But even today, Afflatus doesn't compete with Berlin Strings with it's 8/6/5/5/4 configuration, or SSS (16/14/12/10/8), or SCS (4/3/3/3/3) or OT First Chairs etc - it competes with all of them, and can as such be seen as at least three or even four products. So I'm not worried about the future of SAS either; it's tone (maybe except for maybe the basses?) and modularity/divisi sells it.
Here's how modular it is.
Maybe the current situation will will result in more manufacturers offering demo versions, or maybe they'll start considering selling single instruments like eg Performance Samples does; that would be great. PS is another company I actually wouldn't be worried about, because they have that special focus on tone, which has worked well for Audiobro LASS, Hollywood Strings and Wallbank/CSS, and has also sold a lot of sul tastos and flautandos for Spitfire.
I'd be more worried about small companies which make good, but specialised libraries - but which lack important stuff that will make users move on to other products soon er or later, or only serve as additional extras for someone with more complete libraries. Also - Spitfire survives well, it seems, even with Berlin Strings being more feature rich and doing better with their 8/6/6/6/4 range than SF does with their Studio Strings in a very similar config (8/6/5/5/4). I don't think they would have kept doing well if that didn't reduce the price for SSS/SCS a lot since they were called Mural and Sable.
Maybe one key to success for SF is that they focus on the kind of libraries/articulations they really like (combined with active marketing). LASS doesn't succeed due to intense marketing, but because they did some good stuff 10 years ago which many of their users still use and prefer (polyphonic portamento, auto-divisi) + a tone their users eiter like or dislike, but which at least enough people like to keep preferring LASS over others.
That was a long post, I guess all I wanted to say is that I think companies (just like composers) will survive if they do what they love - combined, of course with some marketing, hard work and giving their users what they need or want.