Ideon is a huge influence on Evangelion, with a near-identical ending. So it's a tangent, but not much of one. I accept your second point with a heavy heart, but is it really more niche than, say, Revolutionary Girl Utena which has the same episode count? Don't get me wrong, I like Utena, but I would have thought it a trickier sell than something with big robots and a Gundam and Evangelion connection.
Anyway, Maiden's announcement is the best anime home video news in the history of anime home video so I'm really not unsatisfied but I would love to see it available to a UK audience.