If you look at the original post where they announced this change, it seems like this is pretty much the case: Kana-Only Vocabulary is coming. It’s rather baffling.
And from a digital product management perspective. User research seems to be a totally alien concept to them but instead the developers develop what they like and we have to use it whether we like it or not. As they confirm in the thread linked above, they do this because they’re a private company and can therefore do what they like.
If I wasn’t a lifer, I’d have left already with the first update several months ago. Definitely won’t be recommending WK to anyone anymore after this 
show that’s gone down this year.