"Need" may be a hyperbolic statement, but I do support having a wider array of PC races. I like the "Mos Eisley Cantina" vibe for a DnD party, but even in Star Wars, the most exotic protagonist were the droids and the Wookie, not all the other less humanoid species.
Previous attempts, also, haven't resonated. Killoren, Shardmind ... I think being weird or different isn't enough to create resonance and a fanbase to keep such efforts into another edition.
OTOH, Thri-kreen have. So clearly there is space, it's a matter of how you do it. I think, part of it is that such races need context. Probably what would make one succeed is if it were a feature of a new campaign setting. For example, Shardminds. As a semi-background to the Nentir Vale, which never lasted past 4e, meh. Shardminds as a core feature of a new setting that players want to use and trumpet into a future edition ... yes please.
