Even if CGL had no plans for the Homeworld Clans I trust that the Developers would come up with a more interesting way to eliminate four factions.
I do as well. Most statements in battlechats and in the ask the writers section that make references to the clans being reduced to stone age technology are obviously written because they cannot write, "They are causing a blackout and going to invade the Inner Sphere" when asked. But its still a theory supported by some. Refer to Cold1's post, and will come up in a discussion about what the homeworlds are up to.
As far as I remember, when that idea was thrown out, most people believed that they would have done it just prior to them launching their invasion or simultaneously in order to surprise the Inner Sphere and give them an early edge by making it more difficult for the Inner Sphere to coordinate their response.
Taking away the Inner Sphere communications would not prevent the Inner Sphere from eventually collaborating against a culture that was scouring planets. Or clans for that matter. Taking away their communications and possibly inciting action against each other (The Blake Scheme) would make it easier to conquer the Inner Sphere. Additionally it would make it look like the Word of Blake.
If they implemented the blackout and waited a few years they could invade an embattled Inner Sphere which would make factions less likely to band together against them because of increased animosity and hopefully high property damage. Assuming of course that the mobilization of Inner Sphere industry towards war materials, which would have happened anyways if they invaded, wasn't sufficient to give them pause. At the moment it does not seem to be.
It is also possible that the implementation of Fortress Republic would give an invasion force pause. Especially if said invasion force was holding to Kerensky's original vision of conquering Terra. Terra being unconquerable because it is unreachable would certainly pause an invasion for said Terra.
From a meta-knowledge standpoint we can suppose a few things. Writers said that by the end of last year, before the timetable got wrecked, they would be in open waters. They were going to reconcile the dark age timeline and then move forward. There was a talk about a reboot, or a minor jump in time or a major jump in time.
I think there is some hesitance for a second invasion because it is 'retreading old ground' however it could be used to reset the playing field for a fresh start in the next century if it happened between the end of the dark age timeline and before the beginning of the new timeline.
Or it could be the major event for the new timeline set in the future. Because of the fan response to the idea of jumping forward in time it was said that they were still going to jump ahead, simply get there slower.
So if it is the first circumstance where a invasion by the home clans basically 'reboots' the setting in the 32nd century, then the change of plans would mean that we now play through said invasion.
If it is the Second circumstance where an invasion is the catalyst for entertainment in the 32nd century then what product may bridge the gap between Ilclan and such time is any ones guess.
It can also be neither of those things. The liberty of a writer is such that they may avail themselves to simply do something new. Which of course is more difficult to predict because of the tendency to get wrapped up in the 'facts'.
For instance, there were plenty of hints about the Clans leading up to the Clan invasion. But while it said Kerensky's army left and there was cause for belief in probably concern guessing the culture that they did return in would be fairly difficult.
