Correct me if I'm wrong, but those games didn't track official player rankings. Which is perfectly fine, and doesn't make a game any less competitive, but official rankings is a legitimate feature that some people gravitate towards.
To be extra clear: I'm mostly with you, I think every multiplayer game should at least offer the option of self-hosted servers, and I backed Stop Killing Games to force them to do so (after official servers shut down).
Though to be honest... My opinion on this topic isn't worth much. As I said, I don't play any competitive games. So it's very likely I'm missing some important info in my perspective.