I got a message regarding new updates. I wanted to see if the number of players increased because that would help me make the decision to return. But I found that tool removed when I checked he website. What's up with that? How many active players are there now?

same as before, if not more. it got removed because the playerbase asked for it to be removed, so that people wouldn't base their in-game decisions on who was online. there will be a graph showing activity trends in the near-ish future.

It's not actually removed: http://www.vendetta-online.com/x/active