You are absolutely right, this is not rocket science.
Unfortunately, when it comes to creative work, and this is our case, recruiting staff is a more difficult task. For rocket science you need a technician, engineer or someone else, and his moral and ethical qualities are of little importance.
In the case of the development of this game, L&P must trust the partner, delegate to him not only certain work, but also reveal creative ideas.
I suppose he has practically no leverage if his new employee discloses any details to the public ahead of time.
Understand that such an action is a very strong blow for a creative person, especially the one that L&P has shown itself to be.
It is impossible to insure against betrayal; it takes a long enough time to work together to earn trust. Exactly the time that we are so lacking!
I'm not trying to defend L&P, don't get me wrong.
I just understand him very well.
On the pages of fan art, I published my fan story about Sophia. This is just a little fan story, but you can't imagine how upset I was when the artist who drew for my story 3D renderings, without asking my permission, published them.
I have also been looking for a 3D artist to work together for over a year now, which is 1000 times easier than what L&P does, and so far all attempts to work together have been unsuccessful.
In addition, I am a manager of several business projects, I have to work with different people, different professions and qualifications.
Therefore, my experience allows me to understand L&P fairly objectively.