Obviously FIDE is a huge obstacle to any kind positive change in chess, but as chess fails to gain popularity in the mainstream, it will eventually reach a breaking point where something serious has to be done if chess is ever going to exposed to the masses. ( like decreasing time controls ) Companies like agon are already seeing the huge potential of chess, because it is played by so many people, but still being mystified at how few people follow it at professional level. This is because chess at professional level is vastly different from how average players actually play it -
gregshahade.wordpress.com/2015/11/02/slow-chess-should-die-a-fast-death/ , in in the end it will be solved by profit motive, eventually people will realise that spectators have more interest in blitz than in classical ( which virtually no one is actually interested in ) , and tournaments like the million dollar chess and blitz matches will start to gain more attention than the world championship itself. Then all attention chess in chess will be focused on Rapid/Blitz , and classical will fall into obscurity where it will hopefully stay!!
You have to realise scoreman, chess players are only going to get stronger and stronger, its extremely unlikely the Magnus Carlsen today will be stronger than any top player in 500 years, and what about another 500 years after that? Vast majority of games at the top level are already decided by positional, a recent trend started by Carlsen in the span of a few years is really meaningless in the scheme of grand scheme of things.
Classical chess will only become less and less popular, and rightly so, the fact is, much like interest was lost in checkers because top players were perfecting the game, the same is beginning to happen to chess, the game will only become less and less dynamic and entertaining. Just looking at the change theory has brought to chess in a measly 100 years, and all the soul that has been drained from the game, how can anyone say that this won't just continue, and you think Carlsen winning some games without opening novelties will change this? Good joke.