Another possibility is if not enough pledges were made to help, it would've been a hint that not enough enthusiastic people would be out there, wanting to buy a copy of the game.
Somewhere in my belongings I have an old episode of 20/20, with the three makers of Trivial Pursuit. Chris Haney, one of the men, who has since passed away, answered the question of how they got investors with, "...We told them, if you're willing to lose money, we're going to lose it for you!"