That's why i would love designs like this
They scrapped it because it was derivative. It was just an Ivy version of Matael from Galaxy Express 999:
https://static.zerochan.net/Maetel.full.935567.jpg
http://www.toei-animation.com/files/visuels/Galaxy_Express_999_500.jpg
http://adala-news.fr/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Maetel_galaxy_express_999.jpg
https://plamoya.com/bmz_cache/b/b421fd4a8a1f6e702b8a4a4e4447f36a.image.433x500.jpg
Making a iconic and unique character design take directly from a classic anime character for a redesign diminishes the character Project Soul came up with, regardless of whether or not it looks good. It's a cheap knockoff redesign where anyone who knows about the character Matael will criticize and question why they had to rip off a famous character for their own, who didn't need that kind of thing done to theirs in the first place.
It's ok if you like what they drew there for her, just know that it wasn't an original idea, which is why they decided against using it.
I recently found out that Ivy is supposedly only 128lbs and I can't help but laugh at the fact that Project Soul thinks a woman at 5'10 and under 130lbs would be anywhere near as curvy as Ivy. Realistically, she'd be fairly thin. A woman of Ivy's height and build would most likely be at least 150lbs.
Japanese people tend not to know how the hell height and weight correlate with character designs because of weird cultural beliefs of what is considered fat/obese over there.
But the stats for characters is something so laughable that I've never taken it seriously. Especially when Siegfried goes from being 157cm (5'2") in Soul Edge when he's 16 to 168cm (5'6") when he's 23 on SCII, then grows again to be 172cm (5'8") when he's 40 on SCV.
That alone is wonky. But the weight itself is the most laughable part about it all.
Consider his weight being its highest on SCV still only being 70kg (154 lbs.) with his previous weight in other games being 48kg (106 lbs.) in Soul Edge, 50kg (110 lbs.) in SC1 and II, 60kg (132 lbs.) on SCIII, then somehow losing weight and going back down to 50kg (110 lbs.) on SCIV, which is where he's 168cm (5'6") and that's all just like.... no. That's not how this works at all. I have two eyes and none of that shit adds up.
If you want to laugh even more when thinking about these height and weight stats? Nightmare's a fucking manlet.
Try to take him seriously if you decide to take their bullshit stats at face value and to heart. You just can't.