Just to clear something up posted earlier, the game hasn't been like it since day one. It's got progressively worse, but I've been playing since way back when about a month after release date. The old events, although few and far between we're never as poorly thought out as the new ones. Offers were given to all players, (sales, xpromos), and the community on the whole was a lot better and helpful.
Also although they won't admit it. I can almost guarantee the reason it was stopped early was to ensure that certain players couldn't fix a tie for first place.
People think they will beat gree, there's a reason the company earns so much.