If you look at the game as L&P looking at where the market is, dumping the movers as a storyline makes sense. The shota incest crowd is what has consistently been the most vocal, so that's what L&P is catering to.
That the shota crowd has so much influence can easily been seen in that Aiden has the popularity he has. The Bennett blackmail makes much more sense, but Bennett doesn't even have a vote option.
Adding the bonus storyline - only caters to the players of the Dylan route. Dropping the Twist - only caters to players of the Dylan route. The Amber storyline - only caters to the Dylan route, for those deciding they're no longer interested in the Dylan route. Etc, etc.
I think of it more that L&P is consciously catering primarily for schoolboys. Presumably, that's where the market is & would account for much of what has occurred over the last 2-3 years, including the discarding of the veneer of realism & the surge in popularity of the shota clan. It also explains the preponderance of the sex education theme. Some of these fans will be virgins, (some not) & many will lack confidence around women, as I know I did at times, (but luckily not all the time). It is informative & no coincidence that both Dylan & Sam are virgins, with Sophia appearing to act as 'reverse green kryptonite' in their presence & empowering them beyond their years & experience, especially with Sam. This ties in with the common standard porn game scene of a beautiful mature MILF type being brought to the greatest orgasm of her life by an inexperienced virginal boy, complete with the tedious "ahegao" face & uncontrollable moans & writhing, not forgetting thoughts about a monster cock &/or how much better it is than with her husband. It's bollocks but it's popular. AWAM is now concerned with schoolboy wish fulfilment.
It's all the more ironic to think that many of these same fans will not only have a wealth of sexual practical knowledge & experience but have life-partners & children of their own by the time that Dylan & Sam have a chance to perform their miraculous, porn game style, love-making. So, while it might be legitimate to cater mainly for schoolboys, they should at least not have to wait until middle age for a story's pay-off. It is also the case that this is straightforward porn & not erotica, slowburn notwithstanding. Whatever the Dev's thinking behind the directions he has taken AWAM, he clearly felt that joining the other 98% of games catering to this same audience was the way to go. Perhaps there'll just never be enough games of this type?
Until relatively recently, (in San Alejo time), AWAM was content with 'shota-lite' as provided by Dylan, Sam, Zac & even Aiden. I don't know what was wrong with this situation but "his game, his choice" & whoosh, in came real full-on shota, with the 3 apostles, their apparent, (on the surface), sexual ignorance & the fact that they're not yet having to shave. Elsewhere, I wondered if their voices had broken yet. Sophia began to act unlike the woman portrayed elsewhere in the game. This resulted in the worst written, most improbable, component in what up to that time had been a game that was still a cut above the rest, let down only by hideously slow development. Nevertheless, shota's here, it's popular. I'm guessing that tentacles, futas, skinsuits, giantism etc., would also garner votes if they'd been inserted in the game, "against the run of play." Who knows, there's still time for them to make an appearance.