>>11678428The problem is that there's just not enough new fans to fill in for the old fans leaving.
Other fandoms regularly replace oldfags with newfags. TMNT, Marvel, DC, etc have a constant influx of newbies entering the fandom. They create new communities (discord, tiktok, etc), fill in to the old communities (forums), and they're as vibrant as they were in the 00s despite how much things change.
GI Joe died in 2016 and it made a small recovery in 2020... and that's about it. Forums were a little bit more busy, but not in the way that otherp laces are when new products are being released.
I think there's way more activity when it comes to the comics than there is for toys, and that's super fucking strange since the comics side always felt lax compared to the toy side. The comics were a bigger hit with fans than the new movie or video games. And despite the comics hitting it big with fans, that hasn't translated into more toy discussion.
In fact, there seems to be little crossover between the comic and toy fans. Toy fans seem to keep to themselves and are mostly unaware aware of what's going on in the current comics, unlike before or other comic based toy franchises. Who knows if the comic fans even buy modern GI Joes, since their discussions are heavily nostalgia-based.
And Hasbro isn't helping, because they aren't cross promoting shit like they used to either.
