Here's the secret sauce. When your game offers an excellent combat system that is also very approachable, quality and memorable level design, top notch atmosphere and interesting & rewarding exploration, you don't need to dumb down the game for the more casual crowd to buy the game, and most importantly stick to it, beat it, and become yet another fan of the developer that will almost automatically pre order their next title. Random devs such as this one aren't getting it, nor do they have the talent to produce GOTY quality that Fromsoft has been pumping for over a decade. So it's perfectly understandable that the only approach they have for "luring in" more players, is to offer options, such as difficulties, but nobody will remember the game after beating it on Easy (which is what all the more casuals will be playing it on) by brainlessly button mashing.
For fun, find the very first official trailer for Elden Ring on youtube, and read the comments. You will see thousands of calsuals that barely even play video games, saying how they were super frustrated with the game, some even quit, came back, beat it after well over 100h, and it has become the most unique and memorable experience they've had in gaming, or even outside gaming. You will never see this happening with a game that allows you to play on Easy, because that is toward the difficulty every casual will gravitate to.
Some devs get it. Other do not, and will get it even a decade from now. It is what it is.
