Yes but 5 years ago boosted ESC's were in their infancy. Now that the technology has matured, they (computer programable ESC's) are on a fairly even playing field. It has really now come down with ease of adjustment; box vs phone/tablet vs laptop. I dont see an ESC war starting back up. As far as batteries, there would be some competition, but not like now. Mod runs shorty packs with less weight and Mah than those batts run in 17.5. Most guys put 2500 or less back into a 7200 pack. They just need that high mah and c rating to keep voltage up for a whole race. If blinky wasnt being used, then batts wouldnt be nearly as important. I do agree that blinky will prob never go away, and that non blinky would ever happen.
As far as boost being difficult to set up. That will pass. Lazy Americans will let a "pro" find a good set-up and copy it. And that ESC will dominate. Thats what the war will be. Just like how Xray dominates the club scene. Its a great car all around, but from 17.5 to USGT to VTA, new drivers will pay the premium price not just for a durable car, but one they can do very little work to in order to get running. Just copy a set-up and not worry about it. Thats a good and bad thing and can be argued at a different time.
If blinky went away, there would be a learning curve, but it would quickly smooth out.