Can World Consolidation Save AC2?

...or is it doomed to cast such a bad light on the game that they'll ruin any attempts to attract new players?

The Story

Since AC2's launch, they've had server population problems. The game played like a single player CRPG, as you could never seem to find anyone. The only places you would normally expect to find people were around central points in the game (Cavendo, the Ikeras lifestone, etc).

This crushed the game's chances at setting it apart from other MMOGs. One of the main selling points to the game was that they encouraged a player-run economy to the extent that they had no NPC store owners - players were responsible for selling their own wares and found treasures. However, if you're intending to base the interactive elements of the game around the presence of a large population, having 30 people on at any given moment isn't going to get you anywhere.