I've been on forums for just as long, and I know it began earlier. However, while XI was a successful MMO and people generally disliked XII back in the day, and that really was when a larger part of people starting losing faith in the series (with the release of VII it was more like some older fans were alienated, but so many new ones were attracted that instead of losing faith it was really just a case of the fanbase just changing, rapidly), it was around the time FNC started that things went really downhill. XIII was a disappointment, XIV was an embarassment, and XV has been stuck in development hell for ten years. THIS is the period when a huge chunk of the fanbase just started leaving, and Fabula Nova Crystallis is to blame, one way or another.