Not everyone buys a scope for their rifles. Besides, without sights the rifle becomes worthless if a) the scope breaks, or b) the mounts prove inadequate. Neither occurance is all that improbable. Seems to me that they're just opening themselves up for more warranty claims.
They also informed me that yes, the current models will last only as long as the retailers have them in stock.
Personally, I've just about had it with Gamo. Between this and their "we won't sell you parts because you're too stupid to work on your own rifle" attitude, they can pretty much kiss off as far as I'm concerned.
My Shadow currently has a Crosman spring, tophat, and seal in it. And my Quest shoots CPL's at 940 with comparable accuracy. Hmmmm.... that new Phantom is looking better all the time. I know it's a Quest with a different stock, but I could probably buy 2 of those for 1 Shadow with the mandatory scope which I don't use anyway.