> if there was any specific reason for it
Why not?... Guys just fans of a franchise and probably wanted to just show their respect towrds it. Frankly thfe MH universe is rich with its lore and can be a fertile ground for variety of different stories.
Also, since you are not a fan of furry mxm, these games were oversaturated with mostly wolves (and other real anthropomorphic animals) so people were craving for something more mythical and exotic, and you hardly can go more exotic as far as MH bestirary goes.