Yes that's very true. The other Crusaders and I, along with the players, had an in-depth Q&A session with Thom at last years Origins, and I brought up the question of the future of Empires, since I had been greatly interested in it since the original previews began. He said that Empires was still in the schedule, but at a future time, once the main lines had been flushed out.
I'm looking forward to it...mmm...Soulflayer Warbands......
*drool*