Quotebut isn't one that would be considered a classic through general consensus
That's not really the matter, I think. For me, AI is a great game and it could clearly become a classic in its category. But its genre is a bit of a niche genre. Comparisons are a bit risquy in this domain and the studios must take that into account, including when they consider the sales (you must compare what is in the same category). Of course, the company can decide to invest on games with more appeal for a much greater audience, but it will lose the gamers and players that like games that are
different and match their specific expectations.
With a successor to AI, there could be clever ways to broaden (a least a bit) the audience, I think, without losing the original appeal.