Well that just out of reach figure of $499,042 would never happen. Like I said previously there would be a number of dedicated hardcore fans who would up their pledges at the last moment to make sure it goes through. You maybe underestimating the pull of a closing kickstarter, it is like an auction. Some people get caught up in the excitement without thinking about the amounts they are bidding.
If the kickstarter does fall through I think they could go to a publisher. Replay Games (http://www.replaygamesinc.com/) successfully funded the remake of Leisure Suit Larry earlier in the month on Kickstarter (http://www.kickstart...arry-come-again). Now these guys not only acquired the license and IP for Larry but also managed to convince Al Lowe the IP creator to work on the project. Telltale Games (http://www.telltalegames.com/) also have a habbit of using existing IP to create contemporary adventure games. So there are options, it just means that if the 2 guys use a 3rd party publisher/developer the project will take longer as there will be a need for contract negotiations etc and the 2 guys will loose some control. I very much doubt they would just give up and walk away.