I'd hope that Sigma would find it profitable to make lenses tailored towards sharpness and an additional range designed for rendering instead, however I have some doubts that such a second tier would generate enough sales in a market obsessed with numbers to justify the investment. The problem with the new Sigma f2.8 was that it doesn't hit enough of the right spots to be interesting: not small like the Samyang 35 f2.8, not fast enough like a traditional standard lens, not cheap enough for the small aperture and the extra external bits & pieces just add to the cost. I have a feeling that a lot of people will look at it and think "but I can buy a used ART 35 or 50 for that much" and therefore pass it over for something more exciting.
Certainly a few will pick it up, but the most significant qualities of the lens won't be obvious to most, and probably wouldn't be a feature of their photography. However I reckon in 5 years time it will become a legend, and will be sought after *once it's out of production*.