I think he should still be a character since he was a main proxy in the actual fandom, along with Jeff the Killer, Masky, Hoodie, Eyeless Jack, Kate the Chaser, and Rogue.
Yes. If the creator wants distance from him, fine. But don't take him away from his fans. I still consider him one & no one can tell me otherwise. He's a core fandom character, he's quite literally impossible to erase.