Hmmm that is actually a difficult question. From the player perspective, Yes, the changes could have waited and if they were made in a future update you likely would have experience no disruption.
From the development perspective, it is preferrable to get a head-start or lay the ground work for future updates.
With updates most players notice them because game developers will make announcents about new content, new offers, new game modes, etc. They are typically VERY large file size and can or do require approval to download the new version.
However, in most if not all Updates there are changes that go unannounced because they are meant to be the groundwork for a future update's content. Also I guess it is worth saying that some content added is removed if the plans change for it and it becomes obsolete.
Making these changes before hand allows any bug issues or compatibility problems with the code to be fixed for portions of the future update before its release. Otherwise it causes lots of patches and hotfixes to address the issue. Typically, players only notice patches and hotfixes becuase they require server reboots.
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Development Derby events are constantly being tweaked and really have been since I have been a moderator.
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That is the plan. Of course it could always change again and be brought back.
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If I tell you all the Easter Eggs then they wouldn't be Easter Eggs.