Traveller is a niche market. It always has been. The gaming industry has always been rife explosive growth and catyclasmic failures. To keep things going you have to continue to grow the base. Traveller really hasn't. Instead of continuing to tell the story and grow the base Traveller has continually reset things. CT to Mt was a growth, to a degree. There were missteps there but at least it was new material being added, some of it schlock but much of it was nice, if a bit heavy handed with the rules. Pretty much every other version was a rehash of the first. Gurps production values really helped to get a new group of players buying materials. T4 and the others not so much. T5 is just a hot mess.
TSR went down the same route but others figured out how to tap into the market after the CCG blew gaming out and then fizzled itself. Star wars has gone along same route. But many gaming systems have a natural life cycle and they will grow and die no matter what. Only a few survive over a long period.
Look at comics. Two major publishing houses controlled their IP, and as the industry went up and down so did they. Marvel was doing OK with movies but it took others to make it the blockbuster it is. DC has had more hits and misses. Each has a massive set of IP to mine (yes, there is more to DC and Marvel than superman and Spiderman as they are finding out - nothing beats a good story).
Computerization isn't always an answer either. Look at Eve. It's a difficult game to master, graphics are good, history and game play make for some very interesting stories and player interactions. But eve is focused on PVP, and it's base has been relatively static since launch because it appeals to a specific niche audience. But it's enough for the small company to survive.
Wow had a lot of IP to mine and deep pockets to fund it. However unless something changes it, too, is in a long decline. Stories have gotten lazy and expansions are hit or miss. Now the next big thing is a relaunch of the first game with the new graphic engine. Will that be enough to spark a resurgence? Who knows.
Even the idea of how long Traveller might be around isn't known. Can it survive continued ownership of its creator or does it need to spread its wings under another? That's no guarantee of anything as we've seen with other game systems.
Only time will tell.
