I can't imagine it being a sustained bump. All the new enemies that have been added since launch haven't interested my friend group in the least, unfortunately.
While the nerfs are annoying, I think the biggest issue is that people have grown to expect constant (even if minor) rewards for game play. Whether it be cosmetics through loot boxes, or new gear like in WoW and Diablo. Once there's nothing left to grind, a lot of people stop playing for fun. Something about how the human brain chemistry works.
This aspect of gaming really annoys me. I'm old enough to have played games for months or years because I just enjoyed playing the game. This notion of unlocking shit, seasons, cosmetics etc, whilst fun to be rewarded for, should be a minor reason for playing a game. Once I've unlocked everything in Helldivers I'm likely to continue playing regardless because I find it fun - to the point where I'm not sure exactly what everyone is complaining about. So they unbalanced a weapon to make it a shadow of its former self, just use something else you sook. The tiny attention span of people these days does my head in.