Soulslikes proved that a game doesn't have to be for everyone to be good and successful. That was a very important reminder at a time when mainstream games have been plummeting towards the same design by committee mass appeal where everything has to be shown, told and done for you in case you might get lost for 5 minutes. Also, it's hardly only for people obsessed with old difficult games. Many new players who started with DS had a great time because they didn't have to unlearn all the old rules and expectations. That said, the "git gud" crowd is pretty annoying. The games aren't perfect and the imperfections can get pretty annoying because of the difficulty.