Because that's not the way games are built / made now-a-days. Back then you could create a character and make them plain as the day is long but as long as they looked cool and played cool then they were "amazing" to people and garnered a following. Since MK is now lore and story heavy thanks to the Story Mode function, those days are long gone and, quite frankly, people expect more from all games (fighters included) these days. It's the reason why games like Killer Instinct are now throwing out their own versions of Story Mode for their characters.

Not just that but now-a-days you have to think about social media and how Boon and Co. now get bombarded daily by thousands upon thousands of people saying "So and so rules" or "So and so is lame as fuck" and they now have an instant gauge into who is playing well for fans and who isn't on top of the most played data they get. Back in the day, they only really got that aspect from the vocal minority and the die-hards who went out of their way to have their voices heard. Now, any old person can do it with 10 seconds to spare of typing and clicking send.

It's a lot harder for characters like Ferra/Torr to make a dent with an already established and diverse cast of characters where-as if characters like Kano were brand new to the franchise in MKX, there's no telling if the fan-reaction would be different without the nostalgia goggles. The fact is NRS are now three Story Mode's deep with MKvDC, MK9 and Injustice under their belts and they themselves decided who would get the spotlight and who would get glossed over. It's pretty crystal clear where Ferra/Torr falls with them if they got the same or less screen time compared to characters who aren't even on the base roster.

I understand that, but I can't see them just throwing away the concept. Ferra/Torr was one of the first characters shown and completed which means they weren't just a "let's think of another character to increase the roster." I also don't see their underutilization in story mode being that much of a factor because staple characters like Kung Lao and Kitana were also underutilized. The comic seemed to skip over them maybe because NRS didn't give Kittlesten that much information or told him not to delve to deep into them. To me this means they are playing the backstory close to the chest, so why would they do that to a character that will only be used now? If they didn't have some kind of idea for them why not just let the comic fill in the stuff they didn't bother thinking of?

Imo there shouldnt have been new characters. Why not just use the old 3d era characters that never got development (most of them) because they would be new to most casuals and it would make long-time fans happy to see these characters developed. Most of the 3d characters had great, or at least interesting designs unlike some of the newcomers like Jaqui. But I digress.

I think you pretty much just summed up your own question. I'm fairly certain they had all the new characters pinned down way before E3, it's just they decided upon those four newbies to show off because they were the most interesting to look at. I mean, what screams "new" (which is the term they were playing with) more than an Aztec, a bug lady, a female Johnny Cage and a hulk/midget combo? But that doesn't necessarily mean the character paid off in their eyes or the majority of the fanbase because they were one of the first to be shown out of the gate.

And the vagueness of their backstory screams laziness to me (or a lack of interest / ideas on their part), not necessarily anything to do with them holding back for a future installment or anything. As for why they'd do it for a character only to be used once, it again is because things are done differently now. All the big story elements go into Story Mode. All bio's are essentially half-assed summaries instead of lengthy explanations that set mood and tone for the characters.

With the duo not receiving that much time as compared to literally every other new character (literally just there to charge, throw a punch and then disappear), I just believe story wise the character is an after-thought to them compared to everyone else. You can get away with that when talking about the legacy characters because they've had the proper time and development devoted to them, you can get away with them being backseat. All of the newbies (Ferra/Torr included) should have been front and center but the duo ultimately got left behind. Again, it could just be me but that's what I think. All honesty, that idea of a character should have been saved for a future game when they actually had enough ideas to fully flesh them out and give them something worthwhile to do. That is, I think, NRS's problem. I'm all for new characters but if less means more, then by all means, give us less new characters and just make the ones you give us all impact the story and the existing characters in a meaningful fashion that drives the story and the lore forward. For some reason, a few half-assed ideas always make it through and it irks the hell out of me.

I disagree partially. I think that while 3d characters could use support and benefit greatly from more attention (which they have already done for Kenshi and Quan chi), I don't think all characters could become that good. For Kira or Mavado to become hits they would require so many changes that they might not even be the same character.

Additionally, while not all new characters are great, forcing yourself to never utilize new ideas is a very poor creative decision.

There's still other Brotherhood members to consider as her allies. Reiko (if he survives the comics), possible Ashrah reemergence, Tanya could still join (imagine that uneasy truce), resurrected Noob, or they could simply retcon her into the Mythologies backdrop as allies with Kia and Jataaka.

She's no longer welcome with Kotal, Shinnok and Quan are both "dead", and we're left to assume that she was apprehended by the Special Forces. So I guess on the other hand, I can understand if that's where they chose to wrap her up for now, leaving her as a cameo or maybe even a NPC in MK11. I just think there was a bit too much of intentional focus on her to be reduced to cameo status. At least for another game or two.

Let's not forget all the classic characters were only known through bios and non canon endings. They're only relevant in the story because they were allowed to thrive. Just because FerraTor's role hinged on being a bodyguard doesn't mean anything to me. He's very original and it would be awesome if they came back.

The concept for the character is unique and thrilling. Just the execution that lacks in the story department and it smells of purposefully glossing over them because they hadn't the slightest idea what to do with them in the first place. Which is a shame.

The only new character I can see being mainstays are Cassie and MAYBE Kung Jin.

Though fun to play as, I don't think they're as well received as NRS hoped for.