Swedish game developer Liquid Swords, the studio behind the open-world crime game Samson, has ceased operations. Founder Christofer Sundberg confirmed the closure, stating, "Liquid Swords is closing." The news follows reports of bankruptcy proceedings against the studio.
Samson initially released on PC in April, with a console version for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S launching in September. Sundberg noted that the console edition "did far better" commercially than its PC counterpart, but this success was ultimately insufficient to keep the studio afloat. "It wasn't enough to save the studio," he admitted.
Despite the studio's closure, Sundberg suggested that Samson may continue to receive support. "I’m proud of our team and what we built. We’re discussing continued support for Samson," he stated on social media, adding a personal note of resilience. "We make mistakes, we learn, we rise, we move on. I never give up. More soon."
Reports indicate that all 27 employees at Liquid Swords have been laid off as part of the bankruptcy. While staff reportedly went unpaid for two months, their salaries are expected to be covered by Swedish law. Liquid Swords positioned itself as a "zero-nonsense" game studio, with Sundberg expressing a desire to "change" the industry by eliminating crunch, reducing unproductive meetings, and avoiding "unnecessary stakeholders." This approach, however, did not lead to the studio's long-term survival, making Samson the developer's sole release.
Sundberg, a co-founder of Just Cause studio Avalanche, previously spent over a decade at Avalanche before establishing Liquid Swords. He is known for his critical views on the current state of the gaming industry.