I think the game served their purpose as a spyware tool probably for a state actor. I cannot imagine any reason for a sane developer company to nuke the successful mechanics of their cash cow game. They never listened to any requests from their most loyal fans. They were in so much hurry to destroy their beautiful game. Something does not add up. So most likely I think that they got the info they were looking for and just pulled the plug from the espionage operations. Just my theory.