Hello. I know I don't comment often on offline modes, but your feedback is seen and relayed to the team. I have also reported the bugs mentioned here.
Obviously, Franchise Mode didn't get changes this year as the focus was on BaP for offline modes. There have been numerous updates with patches for this mode so I can't agree that it's being ignored. The updates you see in HUT do not require a patch. Which is why they can happen so often. If changes to XFs or the energy system happen for BaP, it's something that would have to be in a future game most likely.
Offline modes most definitely matter. There's a very devoted playerbase for them. The team puts a very large amount of work in to creating, updating and maintaining these modes. It's definitely not all just about HUT and WoC. However, they are part of a live service so they are going to get regular updates for new content.