I might actually be able to answer that: toxic overcompetetive players can’t be kept out. As soon as a game is of a certain genre, size, design, they flood the game and complain about it being too easy and having no endgame, therefore being dead. Since toxic overcompetetive players dominate all online channels by sheer time spent alone, they raise the impression of being “what gamers want” while actually like being less than 10% of a playerbase.
So far, every single game that started out as casual has become a playground for toxic overcompetetive players over time thanks to this mechanic. Funnily enough, the usual “you can just play something for casual” is usually being used after invading the casual game and demanding it turning more toxic and overcompetetive.