Something like twitch viewership is a noteworthy mark.
It isn’t about people “watching” a particular game… It’s that the influencers on twitch, the big names, aren’t drawn to it anymore - it doesn’t sustain their interest. So their audience is no longer watching it. That in itself is a telling barometer. (and could signify the sun setting on a game)
I’m sure some people watch streamers for the games they play, but often it’s about watching a streamer for that streamer itself. Their product/show that they are delivering.
Apex payed a lot of money for many top streamers to play it. They players enjoyed it, their fan base joined in on the fun… that waned quickly, and they flipped back to Fortnite again.
The streamers that I follow that played Fortnite and then Apex, and now Fortnite again - seem to have lower numbers now as well - so perhaps the masses have finally decided that BR games are in their twilight.
I’ll the more power to those that like Apex, I gave it a fair shake, but didn’t work for me.