That is oversimplifying to the point where it's no longer true. There's a strong interrelation between how much the top payers pay and whether or not that statement is true. While it may be fun to assume that those who won't subscribe to a game won't pay for anything, it's equally likely that the same player who thinks it inconvenient to subscribe to a game would find it inconvenient to play through the game like everyone else, and thus be willing to pay to skip grinding.
Also, it will always appear on the outside to be damage control. Since games would be less successful at launch if the potential purchaser thought they could just pick it up for free later, it necessitates giving every appearance of releasing the game as a permanent subscription based game.