Is it the signal that the Merge Network is on the verge of becoming a failed network (many think that time has already come) or just the positive growth of a new network (Equity Poker Network)?
Merge "desegregated" all of its offerings two days ago and traffic is much higher than it was when Host was still on the network.
Prior to this, there were two player pools on the network. One with Carbon/Aced and PokerHost (before it left) and the other with Sportsbook/PlayersOnly and a few other skins. Now, those pools are combined and traffic has seen a significant increase already.
Many of the decisions Merge made over the past year put a lot of pressure on Host and Merge basically forced them out in the end. Now, I don't know the exact rationale behind this, but Merge has clearly been trying to consolidate the number of skins on the network and Host was the main holdout.
I view this as a positive change for Merge and I'm cautiously optimistic about the network's future.