Trials needed more people playing seeing it was dying.
The changes they made has revitalized it.
I’m curious what the numbers will be like this summer when the new DLC drops.
Well, it TRIED to revitalise it; I think Trials as a concept is beyond saving. It's a mode where sweats and casuals are forced to mix, and the casuals have no fun and leave, leaving just the sweats, who then cry. I don't disagree it 'lost its identity' to survive, because that identity is inherently unstable.
Is Trials more populated than it would be without the changes? Yes. Is it enough to survive long term? Probably not.