Definite hope for steem, for me I think the two are so intrinsically tied now that I fear one without the other does not bode well. If this project had been like Eos (which I think sucks ass but that's another story) and created the Blockchain with no front end then invited app development it could have worked but it didn't and now having had a beta then throwing it away in favour of a bunch of fragmented apps sends the wrong message out to the world.
It might be the only way forward but it's all about perception.
I do hope I am wrong though.