If anything, it is likely more common than not, for these big AAA games. Which certainly might offer a lesson for someone.
As for defending, I think the issue here is that people are mostly misunderstanding.
If player A likes the game for whatever reasons, they are not defending the game, there is nothing for them that need to be defended. It has no direct impact on them that player X and Y do not like the game.
A few people are always playing Defense Force, sure, but for the most part, people who are expressing they like the game, or don’t want to see changes that some other people want in the game, are simply… expressing their views on a game.
They don’t have an issue with you, they might just not want the game to change in the direction you want.