What makes game popular and attractive in the mainstream?

I myself don't play finals much and that's honestly what made me think, why not? When it came out i thought its so cool and a truly fresh skillful and fun shooter with soul, I was sure that it will be very popular and that i would hear about it but it never really got much hype and looking at the sub it seems the game is struggling with popularity, especially from the "mainstream" crowd. Only time I see the game mentioned is from some Kovaaks/Aim Trainer grinders and here on the sub. I actually mostly play Overwatch and it also has a pretty, let's say interesting, relationship with the mainstream and is weirdly popular but also very unpopular at the same time.

Can games even stay popular anymore in the modern landscape, does everything just get uninteresting after 2 weeks because people are used to fortnite level updates and over the top changes? Basically I want to know what you guys belive on a broad level what the reasons are, why do the average 12 year old console gamers and pc gamers not play the finals? Is it marketing, not enough streamers/youtubers or it just doesn't appeal because of design?

In my eyes it's a unique and well made game that seems accessible and since it's f2p and has a realistic but still stylized look, I would have expected it to have a much bigger presence in the shooter space. Maybe my view doesn't represent actual reality or maybe shooters in general aren't that popular anymore even apex seems to be doing bad