From a number of mapsets that I've contributed (be it either I nominated as a BN or making some for the ranked section), I'd have to 100% agree with the removal of this requirement for multitude of reasons, mainly 2 of these:
1) Based on years of playing/charting experience, hitsounds don't contribute much to the palatability of the mapset itself (or it can even be a hindrace) due to the fact that every hitsound files have their own distinct feedbacks where on playing field is almost non-existent as registered hits do have a feedback delay (even though abiding by the Ranking Criteria). Almost every players that I know and played mapsets do not rely on hitsounds for feedback timing or sync/offsets, but rely on aural/ears to do their audio cues.
Hitsounds do nothing more than just a slapdash of hit feedbacks whereas MOST players, myself included, do not care about having them (and it can even be a definite annoyance).
2) Most VSRG engines that I know of only uses offset/sync (thanks to waveform filter from different editors) to sync their mapsets, and adding hitsounds just add another arbitrary work on top of the synced notes that makes it unnecessary and not viable. We can run a public poll of players for this entire osu!mania community if you need some data of statistics of how many VSRG players constantly uses their effect volume to apply feedback of their mapsets.
In accordance of VSRGs that I differ between osu!mania and other games, this is the only game that uses hitsounds with a forced value of feedback (even at a bare minimum), and the players/mappers at this demographic don't even seem to show enough interest for ranking their mapsets because of this hitsound requirement. There are some players/charters from other games that tried to rank their mapsets, sure, but as of now it adds another extra step that doesn't benefit both perspectives in general.
1) Based on years of playing/charting experience, hitsounds don't contribute much to the palatability of the mapset itself (or it can even be a hindrace) due to the fact that every hitsound files have their own distinct feedbacks where on playing field is almost non-existent as registered hits do have a feedback delay (even though abiding by the Ranking Criteria). Almost every players that I know and played mapsets do not rely on hitsounds for feedback timing or sync/offsets, but rely on aural/ears to do their audio cues.
Hitsounds do nothing more than just a slapdash of hit feedbacks whereas MOST players, myself included, do not care about having them (and it can even be a definite annoyance).
2) Most VSRG engines that I know of only uses offset/sync (thanks to waveform filter from different editors) to sync their mapsets, and adding hitsounds just add another arbitrary work on top of the synced notes that makes it unnecessary and not viable. We can run a public poll of players for this entire osu!mania community if you need some data of statistics of how many VSRG players constantly uses their effect volume to apply feedback of their mapsets.
In accordance of VSRGs that I differ between osu!mania and other games, this is the only game that uses hitsounds with a forced value of feedback (even at a bare minimum), and the players/mappers at this demographic don't even seem to show enough interest for ranking their mapsets because of this hitsound requirement. There are some players/charters from other games that tried to rank their mapsets, sure, but as of now it adds another extra step that doesn't benefit both perspectives in general.