Is it a long development time? Yes.
(I had the same feeling for the previous episodes)
Will it be worth it? We'll find out after playing episode 9.
Following the MC's decision at the end of episode 8, we can expect this to change the structure and content of the following episodes.
For example the Halloween party, if we place it before the choice of episode 8, we would have had the MC who fucks half of the HOT, and some LI. Logically it will not happen like that anymore. At a minimum, we won't have any more sex with the ex-LIs, and certainly also less (non-sexual) scenes with them (this will also apply to the rest of the episode).
For the side girls, we do not know what is planned. If the MC gives up fucking everything that moves, it'll be a lot less lewd scenes. You have to "compensate" with the scenes of the chosen LI.
This could explain the extra development time. If we add to that, Zoey who is coming, routes that will be more exclusive, you have to get used to having episodes that take 8 or 9 months to come out.