What we call it, "clone" or not, is a bit beside the point. If the core mechanics to advancing through the game (say, kill this group based quests as the main means of grinding, or the main focus being endgame dungeon runs for gear with a slightly higher score) are not diferent enough to grab outside interest, people generally won't care how 'fresh and new' the rest of the game is.

At least that' what I've observed.