Have a look at another recent reboot? Tomb Raider (irrespective of how fucked up SE's expectation are) was a very well received product both critically and commercially, it resonated with the fans despite being a reinvention of the character and IP.
There is nothing wrong with reinventing yourself, however the image Ninja Theory portrayed failed at 2 things.
1) Fail to connect and resonate with existing fans
2) Fail to appeal to the wider audience
When you fail to do BOTH your are in trouble, all the early sign was already their that the fans was not happy, so that's 1/2 gone.
The game was a gamble, and one which they lost.
And as for the headline "Devil May Cry fans destroy brand out of spite"? Nothing more than attention grabbing.
