When will NA get more shards?

[Krotoan]

Interesting. Why should a new player be more important than a current one making an alt? After all the current player is possibly a long term sub, hence a steady source of income for SE, but they can't guarantee a new player would stick around for just as long as them.

Because the new player is potentially more money, while the old player is already established money. The old player can play their old character(s) as much as they like. A new customer needs to be slightly catered to so that they can even have the chance to "stick". The old player knows if they like the game or not, the new player needs a positive experience to encourage them to stick around.