... the dev blatantly said his motivation for that is he wants to start another game and we all know from experience what that means.
I found this on Patreon (Jan). Make your own mind:
My goal is to have the base game completed by May 1st. This does not mean all paths will be completed, but the game can be finished at least with the default ending. Then I will maintain ongoing support and development for the game while simultaneously initiating the development of a second game within the same universe.
Seems that he cannot complete the base game until May 1st. I guess coz he got more ideas since January.
And the second game (same universe) seems to be a sideview on the first one, like a parallel story, completing the whole picture.
As said already, this was a posting in Jan 2024, and plans might change fast.
I definitely know that he has and will not lost interest on this - his first - game.
I know that from daily conversations.