Decline Stage – Eventually, the market for a product will start to shrink, and this is what’s known as the decline stage. This shrinkage could be due to the market becoming saturated (i.e. all the customers who will buy the product have already purchased it), or because the consumers are switching to a different type of product. While this decline may be inevitable, it may still be possible for companies to make some profit by switching to less-expensive production methods and cheaper markets.
https://productlifecyclestages.com/It's important to understand what phase of the product life cycle you are in. It keeps you from wasting resources where they won't help.
Hopefully AH has a long tail. It has a small dedicated market. Perhaps fading, but that could extend a couple of more years.
I think he would be nuts spending any meaningful amount on advertising for new player acquisition. If he could find ways of reengaging past players and luring them back for a bit, that would probably be more productive.
Products almost never make a comeback once they have reached decline phase. The decline might stabilize and remain exploitable for a significant "long tail". No amount of wishing made buggy whips a major profit center for manufacturers again. That doesn't mean you completely stop making buggy whips. There will always be a small population of Amish you can service. But if you want to stay in business, you start retooling your factory to focus on new products. You still have the knowledge and expertise and equipment. You just make upholstery and steering wheel wraps for these new fangled automobile things.
Products almost never make a comeback once they have reached decline phase, but companies can. Apple was on the verge of being liquidated when Jobs came back and turned it around. But he was only was able to do that with brazen innovation and a whole new product line.
If you keep feeding a function the same input parameters, you keep getting the same return value.
[Edit for clarity] If AH has entered it's product life cycle decline phase, that is no failure on HTC's part. it is simply the reality of markets. The only failure would be to refuse to face reality and adjust strategy.
