Actually it's been my experience that as soon as something hits testserver you have 2-6 weeks before it hits live. On day one test server merge I got my toons in order on both dims, leaving only 10 total I plan to activate.
Most likely due to oversight from prioritization. From the dev side engine is probably top priority to have symbiosis between supporting all 3 games. GM's and ARK's would benefit primarily from this as all 3 games would be similar enough for same people to support them game mechanics wise.
I also would count on small patches to rebalance over time. Like changing a few nanos here and there. Major things like perks will probably take longer.