While your point is totally valid, and BF2 should have custom matches - not just arcade, but actual, objective-based custom matches -, you can't really say that the game is dying (or will soon die).
BF2 has been around for more than a year now, and you can still find GA, SA & HvV matches in seconds. Smaller game modes take longer, but that also makes sense - even I only play them if I feel like doing the daily challenges.
Yes, you have to say it like it is: the development is painfully slow, bugfixes and content both drop at a really slow pace. Yet the game survived the atrocious "Han Solo Season", and apart from the hero combat, the game is now in a better state than ever.
Should it have been like this at launch? Sure. Hell, it should have contained even more content on its launch than it has right now (GA maps & all starfighter content are really lacking by now). This is something that you are also right about: this "live service" model really hurts a game like Battlefront - I'd go as far as to say it hurts any game these days, they just release an unfinished game and call its completion a service. It should have been a huge game with huge development time - but we live in different times at the moment.
But your comment, "[t]hey literally managed to fail the only reason I had to buy this"... Well, I get it that you are disappointed, but that is just something you could have easily searched for or even asked about on these forums.
Anyhow, now that you have the game anyway, I'd really suggest giving it a chance in Galactic or Starfighter Assault. It might not be the reason you wanted to buy the game, but I can honestly say that it can be great fun - especially for such a low price.
Why would I search to see if a multiplayer shooter has custom games? It's literally standard across the industry, I would have no reason to expect any game to lack it. I am going to play the game, I bought it after all. I'm more just shocked that the game still managed to disappoint me after only 8 bucks, I honestly would have never imagined it to lack this particular feature.
I too must say that I've waited more than a year now on the private matches...
The game will not die without them, but having private matches will certainly give the game a boost. Not only does it allow PC players to play together and test things out, but it would also allow creators to make amazing content and thus freely advertise the game further. Imagen content creators to be able to create servers in which they can play or test together with followers. It would also allow the amazing artists to get more cinematic footage/photos easily from the game.
I hope after the new game mode, the developers will focus on Quality of Life changes, bugfixes, maps, weapons and private matches.
