Comment by Negitivefrags

When it was released the game didn't have all the microtransactions so it probably took no time at all to process the JSON even with this issue.

Then over time they slowly add data to the JSON and then this O(n^2) stuff starts to creep up and up, but the farther away from release you are, the less likely that the kind of engineers to who do optimisation and paying any attention.

They are all off working on the next game.