Yeah, because the stereotype image of them is that of silly, shreks running around and trying to bash somebody with a stick - nobody in their right mind would like to play such a dumbass having other cool looking factions to choose at the same time.
I would seriously disagree with you. If you had every faction from Warhammer 40,000 in Eternal Crusade but remove Space Marines, (Not Chaos Marines, i would never consider playing a turncoat and Imperial Guard are just too weak.) i would play Orks. Orks are fun, loading up my shoota and firing blindly whilst shouting Dakka over and over as my shots deafen all foes whilst bullets spray across the battlefield at incredible rates of fire is fun, charging into a bunch of Eldar pansies with my choppa and slugga pistol in hand and cutting them limb from limb whilst shouting a mighty WAAGH! is awesome, they are wonderfully over the top. Orks are also not burdened with all the problems other races are bogged down with (serious injuries are almost unheard of, food is never an issue, Orks can survive ridiculous injuries, etc.) and actually enjoy war, it's pure bliss for them. I don't think that the stereotype Ork is Shrek, I see the stereotypical Ork as something more like this.
Don't get me wrong guys, I love orks. That's why I suffer when all other races are represented in a similar grim dark way and orks are the only ones stuck in the first edition art style- this is very disharmonic with the rest of the Wh40k universe imo. I'd love to see them as huge, ruthless beasts utilising modern weapons and capable of conquering whole galaxies not some half-nut grotesque cartoon characters- this era should be over a long time ago. People who don't know too much about Wh40k when presented with all the races are surely more likely to choose fearful, sombre looking SM or CSM (who look like they can do some real damage) than... kinda space shreks.
I actually love that they remained true to what they are and just how much they care. Everything is fun and a new experience for them. They enjoy war to their fullest cause they live it constantly unlike any other race. I like how they degrade the views and serious tones of other factions with their disbelief and careless nature. For instance that opening cutscene where a Farseer kills the SM in DoW2 and hes all "More of us are coming, this planet will be ours". The Eldar killed him and then went to worry and planning on how to handle the incoming SM. Now imagine an Ork in the Eldar position, he'd just punch the SMs face in with his boot screaming: "Wheres ya Emprah now umue?! DAKKA DAKKA DAKKA!" and just continue looting and having a blast till the SM arrive so they can chop them up too. Its this obliviousness to any consequence that makes them so loveable. If a dying Sorceror vowed to enact his revenge upon a Force Commander he would probably he vigilant to anything around him and perhaps overcautious to the detriment of his men. A Warboss would laugh it off, rip off the stupid yapping spiky umies head and wear it on a rack while retelling the story to his Boys how the little baby cried to his imaginary friends like a baby before getting stomped (im aware Orks have their "imaginary friends"). So a big no to any serious Orks (there are ofc some like that too), let them be the awesome contrast to all the seriousness this universe has (this is coming from the serious side of the argument).
