Without commercial publishers we wouldn’t have engines to build mods and games upon. Just a thought to ground the eulogies in a dab of reality.
But i think you will agree that it is also the mods that keeps the game alive.
Microsoft's Flight Simulator series us the longest software series in "game" classification because of its numerous custom contents and modifications. The next time it releases a new edition, over 1 million purchase is a guarantee.
I bet the same for the continuation of Battlefield series. Normally, unmodded games, despite its huge success, are usually don't last that long. Casual players easily got bored. BF series have this highly moddable and brilliant concept. I praise the idea, but unfortunately the game has to accommodate the demands of all kinds of gamers. However, thanks to FH, they really exploit the concept to the full and repeatedly blaming "engine limitations" in some aspect.