This is also partially the fault of capitalism, anti-social shut-ins who spend all day being whiny and precious about their media slop are the most dependable consumers and organic promoters in the eyes of the companies putting said slop out. So for years every press release and piece of marketing content was designed to appease these chuds, because if some weirdos somewhere take ownership of your franchise's success without you paying them anything, they are basically volunteer marketers, even though you are just feeding their unhealthy dependence on their fandom as the sole source of life purpose and community, enabling them to continue sidelining the work of unpacking the traumas that made them this way.
This is also partially the fault of capitalism, anti-social shut-ins who spend all day being whiny and precious about their media slop are the most dependable consumers and organic promoters in the eyes of the companies putting said slop out. So for years every press release and piece of marketing content was designed to appease these chuds, because if some weirdos somewhere take ownership of your franchise's success without you paying them anything, they are basically volunteer marketers, even though you are just feeding their unhealthy dependence on their fandom as the sole source of life purpose and community, enabling them to continue sidelining the work of unpacking the traumas that made them this way.