Relics coming to an end?

[Nalien]

Also the expense required for the materia to make Animus is entirely out of reach of any players who aren't hardcore gatherers or crafters. The Relic Animus weapon should be called the Relic Crafter weapon because only they can afford the materia required to make it.

I think you mean Novus. Animus doesn't require Materia at all. Still, you're ignoring a couple of points;

1. Novus only costs a lot if you focus purely on two stats. Focus on several and the price drops substantially, not to mention anything up to tier III Materia can easily be farmed Spiritbonding basic Lv49 gears, tier I is a matter of buying gear off an NPC and murdering Lv10 monsters for a few minutes.
2. Materia prices will reduce over time as new gear is released and crafting them becomes easier. The moment we get tier V Materia, expect tier IV to crash in price. Any gear which produces tier V will likely produce a lot of tier IV as "unwanted" Materia. We already have Grade 5 Carbonized Matter from one of the main scenario quests, and Lv60 is the perfect chance to introduce tier V Materia.

I would in no way call myself a "hardcore gatherer or crafter" (not a single Supra), and I'm finding it very easy to Spiritbond my own Materia for a Crit/Det Yoshimitus Novus. Slowed down now that I'm on tier IV Materias, but I still wouldn't call it an insurmountable task unless you literally only have 2 Gil.