I think if a project failed, it's as a result of poor management or the team intentions is just to cash out. Alot help the project to survive like partnership, strong marketing skills and so on. And when it comes to bounty hunters, not all are selfish, many hunters also work with a project for the success of it. Many hold there tokens till it turns shit and even developers dump on hunters, and so many to name a few. The main point is, if a project fails to deliver it is neither the Dev or the hunters. All depends on the intention. We have seen cases of hunters and airdroppers dumping a token and the project still stays stronger. So I think most times, it's all depends on the Dev management.
Maybe it just seems like a failure, but the team members earn enough money.