Well, I don’t know it for sure if it’s the majority, but we also have a like/dislike poll Graphics likes/dislikes Poll
Or a Twitter poll from Maurice Weber (Gamestar), where 28 % say it looks like a mobile game and 37 % wish little improvements (1836 votes). 35 are totally fine with the graphics https://twitter.com/MauriceWeber42/status/1382261263900798977
Maybe it’s not the majority, if we only look at the Age of Empires core fanbase, but if we iook at other RTS fans from Total War, Stronghold, etc., I highly doubt it’s not the majority who prefer more realism. Not hyper realism, but more realism. Stronghold Crusader is very popular too, not far away from Aoe popularity, but since Stronghold 2 the community is waiting for another great Stronghold.
Also many people are interested in Manor Lords. This definitely shows the interest in strategy games with realistic graphics. Or Ultimate Epic Battle Simulator - I don’t like the animations, but it looks epic and realistic at first look. Millions of views on Youtube.
Some of them are potential customers of Aoe4.