The problem with not releasing RP-PvP on launch is that any eventual release only makes it increasingly more susceptible to its RP tag becoming vestigial. If Blizzard does release an RP-PvP later down the line, then it becomes incredibly vulnerable to people who don’t care about RP but instead just want to play on a “fresh server” - which would be theoretically in high demand once Forever has been out for awhile, due to the serverless nature of Forever. The decision to not release RP-PvP on launch merely fulfills Blizzard’s own prophecy about how RP-PvP tends to become PvP-RP (or to put it another way, just another PvP ruleset with a different community).
I think the only way RP-PvP could survive if it arrives months after launch is to add in additional features inherent to an RP-PvP that further prohibit and otherwise gatekeep RP-PvP, more than just moderation (because if the majority of the population aren’t actual roleplayers, it becomes unjust to act against non-RP). Things like auction house and leveling rate restrictions that both make it inconvenient for regular players to play but contributes to the deep and dynamic social environment RP-PvPers seek; and otherwise encourage the few non-RPers, who persist despite the systems of inconvenience, to actually engage with RP because of those very systems.
As it stands now, I’ll probably be /pvp on RP.