That does worry me. Mearls isn't a name that mean anything to me.
As I see it Greenwood created the Forgotten Realms setting, R.A. Salvatore wrote the books that made it famous. And then guys in charge of 4th edition blew up Fearun. Greenwood was moved to the back office and Salvatore was told "we killed all but two of your characters -- just deal". After 4th edition crashed and burned, Greenwood and Salvatore were brought back to heal the wound WoTC inflicted upon itself .
The test of whether this is a successor to BG2 will come down to the quality of the story telling. Do the NPCs seem 'alive', is the story compelling and such. And that's where an endorsement from Salvatore, Greenwood or any of the BG2 authors would mean much more than anything Mearls has to say.
