>>56418254Three answers really.
1. Over-centralization of the modern internet. Ever since the smart phone era took off the internet has become largely centralized around a select few websites (Youtube, Facebook, Twitter, Discord, rule34).
The era of niche communities is largely forgotten and only a fraction on enclaves remain in the forgotten corners of the web.
2. Pokemon fans in general have become a lot more cynical with age and don't really have a new generation of kids to replace them. Most fans new and old either don't care about the games and are only in the fanbase for the escapist fantasy part of Pokemon, or do play the games but since modern Pokemon is so easy and every sort of challenge run has been done to death there's little else keep people interested.
TL:DR: Pokemon went down the same path as Metal Gear and Halo, nobody *really* cares about the franchise beyond le memes and porn. Not that I don't blame them. The games haven't been really interesting since X&Y. Even the new Pokemon barely get any fanart besides the coombait ones, that's how you know nobody truly cares about the franchise anymore.
