I agree with @ItsJerry Every game dies eventually. The thing about Minecraft is the player count cycles through the year. It has it's highs and lows. Usually higher in the winter time when there is bad weather. Usually dies down when it's nice outside and kids are forced to go do something outside. Plus finals vacations etc. The game I met @Ezzerland .. people said it was dying for well over a decade. Twenty years later it's still up and running.
been dying a long time before fortnite my guy seems like ever since 1.9 and EULA the amount of actual minecraft players has plummeted mc communities got more and more childish so more and more people above the age of 15 have been leaving
Honestly, you have to take in tole, that this game has been going strong for so long. Not many games even get the opportunity to grow this big at one point. Fortnite is new, they listen to there community, Minecraft just keeps adding new animals.. I mean, you really can't do anything about it, but no one can, except for Microsoft, and any other services behind Minecraft. Oh well, things die. ItsJerryandHarry still has a strong community.
The game is actually almost, (if not) dead already. Sales of the java edition have (to my knowledge which isn't much) been at a straight line, if you will. A straight, horizontal line. The bedrock editions, of the games however, are still thriving. But it's perfectly fine for Minecraft to be dead. I agree with Gavin above me. This game was huge, and I think that Fornite is basically the new Minecraft, in the sense of how popular it is getting, but I don't think Fornite killed Minecraft. I think the bedrock editions (micro transactions), unnecessary updates, 1.9 combat, age of playerbase, and the YouTube/ Twitch communities all played arguably bigger roles in the death of Minecraft than Fornite. This game was great, and I still love it. But it is time to admit the game is nearly, or dead.