Pyro - what do you mean exactly by 'unhealthy'? if this is change for non-technical reasons, then can you clarify the 'unheathy' factors, and what consitutes a 'healthy' arena? Thanks.
I have a couple of extra suggestions that i ask be considered. Other people have posted them but i think ill go further.
1. At a bare minimum, scrap the two late war arenas - that would help a little bit put more than 7 people in the LW arena when i play (may even double it).
2. Consider just two MA arenas. Either as a LW/EW split or a Original MA/Historic Arena (with rolling time period). Both of these would diversify the arenas and split the numbers up during your peak periods, but not dilute them to a point of unplayability when people in non-US peak times play.
3. Have the number of arenas adjusted based on certain times. e.g. have the 3 or 4 arenas for peak US times as you have it now, but revert back to two as per suggestion 2 above for the time periods when there wont be enough people to justify 4 arenas - you must have the stats to know when these times are. But you still have the problem of kicking people out of arenas when they close. So you could solve that by closing entry to the arena, and let the numbers drop off naturally before closing it?
Ive slept on it, and thought of some constructive alternatives or alterations to your plans for your consideration. Im prepared to 'let the dust settle' over the next week or so and well wait and see how it goes. But if it is to continue as it was last night (single digit players in all arenas except EW), and lets hope not, then i fear i, and others in the off time zones too, will just loose interest - let alone try attract people to join up to that.