Gamerdruid..... Yes I hear your fear and that of those who are at the "TOP" because they have real world relationships that they have built to sway the game in their favor...
That is the real imbalance however and the reason this platform will die... Those at the top right now in a world I am in are dictating which players are allowed in alliances and much much more...
New players are like "What" this feels bad... and they will not return...
No new players = platform is dead..
Don't be afraid of Change... New players of today do not pay money to be abused by "old guard top players" and the game design must reflect what the market wants.
Simply put people will not pay money to be abused any longer so EA needs to do something or watch the continuing fall of interest drop below the line of no return.
That is what you should be really woried about.