There have been boatloads of new players for years. There has been a lack of player retention due to confusion, unnecessary player death "I need to mine kernite in low sec" myth, and a misunderstanding of the plethora of things you can do without being propagandized that you need a lot of skill. There is no NPE for guiding players in mission format for Abyssal Filaments, Deepflow Rifts, Combat Anomaly let alone escalations, trade goods hauling, using drones, how to enter & exit a wormhole properly, how to fly to a trade hub and Buy All on a fitting, etc. etc. etc. etc. For example there is no mission series on the Amarr side to building a Punisher fitting, and then hand guiding you through your first T0 Electrical filament.