why couldn't they make the same thing as this.. except all the buttons straight across? 
they made a vertical 4:
just wanted a horizontal 5 straight across module..
Super easy to make one similar to the second picture with some tactile switches and a piece of stripboard/perfboard or a prototype shield.
Well, in the first case, probably because it's designed to be a game controller. Right/left, up/down, fire. Like billions of video game controllers everywhere.
The other reason is that "cheap" PCB manufacturing tends to have 50mm maximum dimension (60mm x 15mm boards are twice the price of 50x15mm boards, for a hobbyist ordering small quantities.) And it's tough to fit more than 4 switches into 50mm "comfortably."