I left this server like 4 months ago, as it was already dead then so I don't really care what happens, but why would offering transfers (if not merging) be a bad thing? Since you are already playing in isolation I'm sure you wouldn't mind dredging on in even more isolation (aka 'when the going gets tough', which actually translates to 'people who act in a bubble, and blindly HODL to their in-game characters' current position) with your guild. And no, the developers wouldn't be 'working for free' (although they technically already do, since there are no subscriptions), they would not only get new potential income from players who have transferred and want to catch up, they would also preserve life on Outland, safeguarding their business.
Like you said, The only person that matters in this whole ordeal is you, right? :>