I have to say even though stating with c4d somewhere before version 8 and being a member of the cafe as long as i can remember, by version 11 I was looking at MAYA and even blender to do my 3D work. I am a one man show and MAXON was getting more are expensive and letting more and more of the features to rot on the vine. I only upgraded to 16 because of a work contract, the first that required C4d only in YEARS. I still like the interface overall and the ease of use that is infused into C4D and I still need it for work, but like a lot of people the writing seems to be on the wall.
As for Nigel leaving, it's really a loss for the C4D community ( I think we can say his dedication to us and the product is what made many of stay with it, not MAXON) but after so many years its normal to move on to other things. As a cyclist, good on him! As a follower of the cafe, good luck on your new endeavours away for C4D. You have helped me a lot over the years and I can't express my appreciation enough.