The fanbase for these games can’t be large anymore. Sadly. My impression back then was that the new UT would have always been hobby project for Epic. At best a marketing vehicle for the engine. They never committed a full team, a lot of weapon design was outsourced to the community. So I don’t think it “didn’t work out” in any way that they hadn’t already anticipated. It’s probably just that when they hit the jackpot with Fortnite, it was hard to justify such a niche project.