Yeah, I'm pretty turned off by the DMC "fans" who have probably effectively killed the franchise.
Ultimately, it doesn't really matter, I guess. If they'd made Devil May Cry 5 with Dante still sporting his goofy, dated look, that game wouldn't have been a success, either. I think the party is over either way.
The other other way I think they could have gone was to have made it a totally Japan-centric, visual-kei oriented release with Gackt cast as Dante.