They wanted to. They never wanted to have a time period where packs weren't available. They didn't expect a 70x growth in the game or whatever it ended up being. The combination of packs selling out way faster than expected and needing to focus on scaling to simply keep the game working with so many more players meant they didn't get Chaos out when they wanted to.
RE: Road to CHAMPION END: What is going on with Splinterlands Assets and Why