Here's what Mat said:
1. "I think new off topic forums should come about because they get kicked out of the lounge in the same way politics, sports, and puzzles got kicked out of oot."
2. "It seems to me that those asking for new forums are in fact expressing distaste for oot. I want them to have a place to go."
3. "The best way to get a new forum in the near-future is to show me that these topics can take off in the lounge."
Reference to ATF thread
ps... The lounge is a mid-sized 2+2 forum... which is a much better testing ground for specific topics than a madhouse 1,000+ post/day forum where clear focused topics can't get any traction.