I see the article as a kind of old-school hipster take. High fantasy has had an amazing gain in popularity in mainstream culture since the LOTR movies 20 years ago. I think the author was trying to find a contrarian take, as in "yeah actually this is just dorky nerd shit." Maybe he sensed a moment where the Amazon series, including the Wheel of Time, weren't quite the smashes that were anticipated, and felt it was the time to pounce. Then again, "Honor Among Thieves" seems to be having a pretty decent opening weekend.