I actually stopped playing altogether a few weeks ago because the game was becoming joyless. I found that playing the secondary markets was much more enjoyable and I figure that everything entailed from the Land economy/strategy part of the ecosystem is going to pique my interest as well.

I agree with this. The management of assets has become more interesting. This is only great for those that own enough assets worthy of managing, which is relatively small.

Splinterlands is no longer just a card game, it's transforming into a strategy game and experimental environment where we are all able to build upon these assets. You can't automate the future diplomatic arrangements within the game that are to come.

It's also multi-tiered. Unfortunately the lower tier has fallen behind and this is where new asset holders are born.

The game has become secondary and if it was a game to be taken seriously (eSports), there wouldn't be a Battle API. The opportunity to create variants of the game is a massive opportunity to create a more eSports type of gaming environment. Someone that is not associated with Steem Monsters will have to build it, keep the bots out, and create that competitive atmosphere. The ability to re-invent these NFTs and the personas in different environments presents possibilities for game developers.

Splinterforge is the tip of the spear with this offering boss fights to existing splinterlands decks.

When it comes to marketing, they don't have a solid handle on who their target audience is.

Agreed, a large percentage are holdovers from the Steem days who have been keeping the game afloat. I'd be curious to know the ratio of new asset holding users that didn't emerge from the steem/hive ecosystem.