>>18004731
It did not really fell then, Odoacer just sent the crown back to Constantinople, claiming the empire did not need a second emperor.
The idea that there was an empire they were living in stayed afloat for a while, even the Germanic tribes that took control thought of themselves as Romans.

It fell apart when Goths, Greeks and Vandals roleplaying as Romans started to fight over who was the real Roman, and slowly realized none of them were.