Yeah, there are a bunch of changes this year I hear. They've basically said that a good portion of their attendance does rely on there being a gradual evolution. That a lot of people have no real reason to return if the faire never updates and everything is always the same.
In the case of Hack and Slash, there was a year a while back where they didn't come (or they had a reduced run, or something, hard to remember) because they were trying to play hard-ball and asked for too much money.
As they mention in the article, we'll also have to get used to limited ticket sales this year. The ridiculously crowded days will get capped. Theoretically this doesn't impact the season-pass holders, but it could be a real shock to people showing up late on the busy days expecting to buy a ticket at the door.