Not showing the character that they like is "manipulating fans to keep them interested in the game"? How is this supposed to work exactly? If he would show those people a preview shot with Sage, they would stop being interested in the game, because they had their fill of their favorite character?
Wouldn't not showing them the screen more likely lead to people losing interest?
well, it's not such a mysterious mechanism...
in the meantime, fans of the hidden LI go into "withdrawal", and at the same time curiosity grows about what major plot twists make it necessary to hide Sage (given the policy of previews that spoil as little as possible)
it has already happened in at least the last 3 chapters.
in the previews of the 7th Maya appeared only at the last, in that case there was the twist of Patrick's arrival at the end of the chapter, so Maya's absence could be very significant, and in my opinion it was a 100% conscious choice of PDC
in the previews of the eighth chapter it was Bella who disappeared until the last, then in reality apart from the flashback it's not that she had this central role in the chapter (except of course for her run)
in the previews of the ninth it was Quinn's turn, but here maybe it was all about not showing her costume, even if renders with her in plain clothes weren't missing