What's the point of making it a series when the only selling point is nostalgia for gen 1 fans? If they made this same game with new Pokémon, the backlash would be huge - it's being protected by Kanto nostalgia.
You won't see DP fans asking for this instead of an actual remake.
I definitely agree they're gonna lose a big chunk of the player base once they introduce a Chikorita, which is one of the reasons I always question genwunners. If they love the series so much, why are they so against world building? God forbid you ever visit a town that isn't named after a colour.
But for the none close minded, I think Gamefreak is trying to ease them and new fans into the series and introduce them to the Pokemon slowly so they don't feel too overwhelmed when they play the core games.
The people saying Pokemon is too hard core are ridiculous, it's a god damn kids game, but I can see people like my girlfriend, who's never touched the series, can be eased into it more naturally with these new games.
I'm not too big on Lets Go, but I've come to see it as a necessary evil if it allows Game Freak to cut the tutorials, hand holding, and gen 1 pandering in the core games. These are the things the things they put in for new fans, but its holding the games back, so dumping it all in a separate series and allowing more freedom in the core series is a good way to go.
At least I hope that's what they've got planned. I'm fully prepared for that Kanto a few hundred years in the future bullshit rumour which really wouldn't surprise me.
I don't want the core games to be BotW, but they do need to give players more freedom and challenge. Let Lets Go be for the ones wanting a more casual experience and if it dies after this game, at least Game Freak tried to appeal to lapsed fans and give them a new gateway to enter the series. If they reject I hope they just say "fuck em".