Gender locked race?

[decoratibo]

How is making an entire new race, even just one gender, less work than making the other gender that you are already working on?

This is my biggest issue with this whole thing. They made a point in the Paris keynote about how difficult it was to alter the existing headgear to accommodate for Viera ears. Why would they drop all of that and start making a different concept completely out of the left field? I understand that some people wanted a bestial race, but how many of those people wanted specifically a lion-based bestial race? And one that was male-only at that? It makes no sense, especially given how rushed the Hrothgar looked. I understand that developing races is difficult, but I refuse to believe that it would not have just been easier to create male Viera.