I DISAGREE COMPLETELY. I hate bots (I own none, never use them) but they are entangled with the Splinterlands economy.
Removing them would collapse the card rental market, which in turn would collapse card asset prices. The card rental market is the tentpole holding up Splinterlands economy IMO. Hurt the rental economy and everything else goes to s**t.
Also being number #1 on dappradar opens doors to partnerships and opportunities Splinterlands wouldn't get otherwise (I love Hive but c'mon, not many have heard of this blockchain). I have no idea why people think removing the majority of a games' DAUs is something that can happen without dramatic negative effects on a game's asset prices and economy. The Splinterlands team's ONLY option is the status quo. Disincentive but never ban.