I don't think it is unreasonable to expect the base game (Ost + Sov) to go free to play. The games has gone through like 12 sales with the price of that dropped to less than 10 dollars, anyone who wanted it has already bought it. Making that F2P would bring in more people who are likely to buy the other factions and the existing content.
You don't really realize how it really is.
F2P literally does not mean free2play. Well, if you were some super casual about coh, sure, otherwise stuff like bulletins/commanders loosing HP or all commanders except for basic ones being only temporary, which you'd constantly have to rebuy/refill/repair, all basic features we have now(1 free tow, sov campaign) would be locked behind DLC.
Free2play model doesn't exist to make games for free, it exists because it makes money and a damn good money.
I don't believe few more players are worth introducing micropays that would force every single serious player into basically a subscription for playing the game.