This is a trend that happens a lot with bounty campaigns this days for blockchain projects, the truth is if a project doesn't meet its hardcap it is almost impossible to pay out the entirety of the bounty budget.
I think a change of approach should be adopted, projects should have a bounty budget that they will be capable of paying as long as the soft cap is reached.
This may mean a smaller budget but it also ensures hunters don't just join out of greed and spam repeatedly.
At the end everyone is happy
Of course, it would be much better for us if the project had an obligation to pay the reward to all participants of the campaign bounty in any case, but unfortunately there is always a risk to remain without any reward if the project fails. You should always carefully read the terms and conditions of the campaign so that there are no surprises for you at the end of the campaign.