We might continue the tradition to some degree; not of course in hosting a festival or anything so ambitious, but having that month be a time when people can test the software for an extended period and purchase at discount if it works for them. A number of smaller projects are springing up from the ashes, and if nothing else it will likely remain a time of the year when people want to give a shot at something they’ve always wanted to do.
But we’ll see, it’s all speculation at this point.
That’s good to know.
I do remember there being considerable talk and outrage amongst a fair number of writers in my circle regarding NaNo’s surprising support of AI assistance in writing. Reading the other replies, it sounds like they may have also had some other, more ‘serious’ things going on, but I do know a lot of my peers essentially boycotted the project for this reason, which couldn’t have helped.
Sorry for a bit of necroposting, but does anyone know of some NaNo replacement this season? It’s almost autumn now, and I’m starting to experience The Itch. 
Yes feel free to write a book in November as usual. Post here when you’re done and I’ll happily send a message of genuine congratulations!
Scratching the itch in a good company is much more fun, though.
We still run regular writing “months” at Edinburgh SFF which is cool. A lot of the writers there have participated in NaNoWriMo over the years, and while it’s a shame the org imploded, it lives on in spirit.
There’s a lot of other groups like Nano. Just do a search for “Nanowrimo alternatives” or some such phrase and quite a few turn up. I have no idea as to their reputation.