Renpy games keep saves on your computer in a kind of hard to find file. Even if you install a new or different version, you can use your old save.
There is a rare case where it could make it bug out, in a replay you can just hold down ctrl and it will blast through all the stuff you have already read.
Most in works in progress will have an update every 2-3 months. It depends on life being nice and computers working.