At the last cap (56) even casual players like me meandered in 3 months after the sprinters made it in 4 days. It kind of degrades the elite status for the hard core. If people want to quit because it takes too much time & money to stay at the top, then there's really no way to stop them.

A steep progression curve keeps the interest of the hard core (& as has been pointed out, should generate steady plat purchases). If you really want the game to thrive, one player who would quit if it was too easy is probably worth 20 that will quit if it's too hard...

...Make that 100 if we're talking about Royce may he be inactive in peace