There was no reason to abandon ELF onaholes other than them trying to encourage their new normalfag fanbase into playing the game and adding males as "collaborators". Baiji was most likely planned to be one until they saw everyone getting pissed off and junked the idea altogether.

Honestly, I don't really get what they were thinking with part 2 at all other than them trying to compete this game with Wuthering Jeets. Glad that fucking backfired. It finally snapped them out from complacency