To raise player numbers in gameworlds and make games more fun, why not let players bet units on gameworlds? If the maximum wager is higher than most casino games, you could make gameworlds effective for unit grinding again.
I’m thinking it would work by having players bet on gameworlds as long as they’re public games on official/curated maps. The amount earned would be based on the amount bet, the difficulty, the number of players, and your placement. Co-op can be calculated on team performance instead of individual performance.
I think this will help fix the lack of gameworld lobbys and keep players interested in them
There was actually a feature similar to this in GMT called the dueling arena; it was planned to be in TU but has been delayed to kingdom come particularly due to the fact that this makes it really easy to trade units with other players via purposeful throwing.
They REALLY want to avoid making a virtual economy, so it’s a big logistical issue for them.
Game Worlds are already still useful for unit grinding. In fact, they are my main way of making money. Casino is honestly the option for losers, even if you can win/get a lot more units there, and basically everyone is there all the time.