I agree with everything you said, and I think your observation about the three-tier product line is right on the money. I just don’t foresee a new OT in the future. The Rytm, A4 etc could definitely be accompanied by some kind of performance sampler, but that doesn’t mean they’ll do it, and if they did, I can’t see it being a continuation of the OT, not least because I read that the engineer who developed the OT software left the company with some IP or something.
There’s also a lot of blurring of the lines between ‘tier 2’ and ‘tier 3’, in that the Digitone is extremely fully-featured for a mid-tier device, and is very unique in its own right. Also, the Analog Heat shares the ‘tier 2’ aesthetic but is clearly more aimed at ‘tier 3’ consumers. The DT is a relatively simple box, but I still think it would sit well alongside a Rytm and an A4, for example. I don’t currently perceive a huge gap that Elektron needs to fill in their lineup, despite the collective yearning for a better OT.