4.4.4 itself was a minor security update, so I don't think HTC really pushed it. In fact I'm sure I saw articles saying they weren't really even going to release it as it was so minor. But I guess the main update was the HTC EYE software, so they bunded 4.4.4 with it.
Don't forget, HTC updates/customisations are different to the Android updates, although they often get pushed at the same time.