As I just said in another thread, I think this topic deserved its own thread.
The main effect that the ban has had is that the mixers have gone to advertise in another forum (shitcoinstalks.com), and with it the campaign managers here as well as a lot of forumers that have been "teleported", being currently active in both forums.
Nah, man, Bitcointalk is a lone warrior in this space, more specifically in forum-style discussions around Bitcoin. Bitcointalk is not in competition with any other xtalk[dot]com.
No "new" forum will ever reach the same level as Bitcointalk is today. They may attract a few hundred or thousand users, but they can't compete at the same level. The reason is not Bitcointalk but other social media platforms. In terms of traffic, user engagement, and marketing, any new forum will be competing with those platforms, not with Bitcointalk.
Bitcointalk remains a discussion-oriented place, although there are no more hardcore technical discussions related to Bitcoin, as those have moved to more suitable spaces like GitHub, etc. However, the original OGs of the Bitcoin era are still here, and they will stay.
Regarding campaign managers or other groups, they follow the wind and won't stay in one place for long.