It's just a cycle, there are times when things die down and then they pick up again.
It happened with the transition to MSN Messenger to Windows Live Messenger. There were at least 7 people making skins at that time and then all of a sudden they all disappeared leaving about 3.
Its the same thing now, it's just up to someone new to come in a keep things going. Really a person can only skin for so long before their personal lives become more involved and it becomes time to move on.
Ultimately its up to the new people to carry things onto 2010.
My position on if I will continue in 2010 is still pretty cloudy. But even if I chose not to continue I don't think it will have an effect on the skinning community as whole (asides from initial withdrawal syndrome
).
Is skinning dead? Ask me again when Messenger 2010 is close to being released.
/ 
