Obligatory "We waited nearly a month for this?"
I'm not sure where they're getting the whole 'blog comments are pretty happy' a quick peek shows most are pretty peeved or disappointed, and while i can't speak for patron or discord players considering most supporters started with "I was pretty apathetic about Berwyn to begin with..." i think they may just have rose-tinted glasses on.
Onto the actual meat of the matter, or the lack thereof, i can't help but feel this a real case of 'one step forward, two steps back' while it's nice for a companion to receive a resolution to their conflict and potentially grow as a character via event (something this game lacks in abundance) a lot of the weight, impact, and reward is lost by making them an NPC without good cause. Half the reason you'd care for a companion is due to sharing a journey and spending time with them, by stripping that status they've hurt those who have been with the game for a while/those who like the character and will now confuse new players as to why this '''NPC''' is getting so much focus and attention.
Also Savin's "Don't wanna burden someone with an extra companion" excuse is limp at best considering he's been working on what two, three companions before shucking responsibility? seeing as Berwyn was already barren in terms of story inclusiveness i don't see why just, not having him comment on the events is that big a deal? or just having Berwyn transition into a community based comp that any of the writers could write for on a whim considering this quest makes him 'feature-complete' it seems a little silly to demote him if you ask me.
tl;dr I don't see the merit in removing one of the few male comps that had a specialized role with a good chunk of fans and making Berwyn a NPC while also giving them a character arc/conclusion is bad planning/writing
P.S " Etheryn herself already stresses what we can and should do with a character you can bring with you. " go fuck yourself and do your job, next time realize what you signed up for before you start trying to do it.