Gday Anton. I don't think Sideshow is suffering from bad habits. They are a business first and foremost, and reasons along those lines have already been stated. What I do see are trends.
Over the transition of time, when Sideshow was in it's infancy, they had to bend to the big corporates. Then they chose to break away. They set a nervous pace in the industry. They shook foundations. The Universal line was their lifes blood, to my eyes anyways. And to my eyes I see no reason the 8inch line has not been replicated in 1/6th scale, or why we have not been afforded the courtesy of an Ygor.
You mentioned the PF line of Uni monsters, but neglected the illustrious Mummy has the wonderous sarcophagus, and therfore it's price point may be reflected by the edition size.
They are still basically able to break new ground, as they have always done, even though times are becoming tougher, what with all the competition an all. That they are able to maintain a relatively low price point, for a licenced figure, is to my eyes astounding. The recent boom of highly priced Hot Toys, Medicom and the like, being able to command such huge prices. They too could be grabbing the higher profit margin of a price hike. I am confounded as to why this, as yet, hasn't occured. Time will tell.
I wont comment on the Star Trek licence as I haven't collected any. I do have four X-Files figs but don't care to comment on them either, as I am not a huge fan. The PotA figs could do with some more figs but it's unlikely. Sideshow tried something new, and I think, found that flooding didn't really work. Buffy nearly collapsed, and rebounded. It isn't sufficient to buy figures in hope that support will breathe life anymore. Buffy has a huge collector base, but timing is everything. Collectors on a whole collect more than one line. Budgets become restricted and competition ensues between lines and licences. Buffy is becoming old. Not so much to enthusiasts. Just over time. The exclusive has and is exclusive mostly to State siders, with the exception of the ones split into two. A limit for Statesiders and the rest going to various overseas distributors e.g. Jaws, Q. Ultimate Hellboy and the like.
As far as a PF Creature is concerned, the only thing I have heard is that it will see the light of day, when they decide what is right for it in terms of pose and design.
Sideshow do try new strategies, and incorporate experimentation in production, edition sizes, exclusivity, and issue of product. I don't care for some of it, because it affects me as an overseas buyer. I would dearly love a D'Hoffryn or the exclusive Terminator figures, but I cannot abide by the Stateside only exclusive because of affordability, due to shipping costs, and wont buy the regular, in the case of the Terminator figs and other such exclusives, because without the added accessories I don't want them. Yeah spewin, but I can't justify the cost. I have severley reduced my 12 inch purchases to afford the Uni PF's, and have a list of 50 1/6th figs I would dearly love to purchase, but something has to give. Sideshow has it's strategies and I have a budget. Sometimes they defeat each other or themselves in the bargain. Enuff said for now from me.