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Samson Developer Liquid Swords Confirms Closure After Bankruptcy
Liquid Swords, the studio behind open-world crime game Samson, is closing after a bankruptcy process that followed two months of unpaid wages. The game sold 151,900 copies.
Liquid Swords, the Swedish studio behind open-world crime game Samson, has confirmed it is closing. The announcement follows a bankruptcy process that began after the company stopped paying its staff, and it comes only months after the game reached consoles.
What happened
According to GamesIndustry.biz, employees went unpaid for two months before they petitioned for bankruptcy themselves. Inven Global reports that the Stockholm District Court issued the bankruptcy ruling on October 12, citing local outlet Breakit. The remaining 27 employees are being dismissed as part of the proceedings, and their unpaid wages are expected to be covered by Sweden's national wage guarantee system.
Founder Christofer Sundberg confirmed the closure on social media. "Samson did far better on consoles, but it wasn't enough to save the studio," he wrote. In a statement quoted by GamesIndustry.biz, he said "market conditions and some bad business decisions brought us here," and that the game's release "wasn't enough to get the company across the finish line." He added that he plans to start a new studio built around the current market.
The collapse was not sudden in the eyes of the industry. Inven Global notes that Liquid Swords had already laid off about half its staff in 2025, and that the original plan for a large action RPG was reshaped after the team struggled to find a publisher.
Key details
- Developer: Liquid Swords, a Swedish studio founded in 2020 by Christofer Sundberg, a Just Cause developer and former Avalanche Studios co-founder (Inven Global)
- Game: Samson, an open-world crime and vehicle action game
- Platforms and release dates: PC on April 8, 2026; PS5 and Xbox Series X|S on September 21, 2026 (Inven Global)
- Critical reception: Metacritic critic score of 51, with reviews citing technical issues and bugs (Inven Global)
- Sales: 151,900 copies and SEK 24.1 million (about $2.4 million) in revenue as of October 14, according to figures in a preliminary bidding document cited by GamesIndustry.biz
- Staff: 27 employees dismissed; their contracts do not transfer with the business
- Assets for sale: The bidding document lists Samson's intellectual property, related development assets, equipment and inventory
- Missing or unconfirmed: The future of Samson. Sundberg says the company is in discussions with all parties about continued support, but nothing has been announced
What it means for developers
- Runway is the real deadline. Liquid Swords did not fail on creative ambition alone; it ran out of cash. Track your runway in months and treat payroll as the first line in every budget.
- Platform expansion costs money. Samson reportedly performed better on consoles, but that was not enough to save the company. Price ports and certification into the plan before you commit to them.
- Launch quality shapes the second act. Mixed PC reception and bugs made every later sales push harder. Shipping in a stable state matters more than patching your way out of a bad first impression.
- IP is what gets sold. The asset list in the bankruptcy process shows that a studio's remaining value sits in its IP and development files. Keep clean records of ownership, source files and build pipelines.
- Know the rules where you work. Wage guarantee schemes and insolvency procedures differ by country. If payroll gets tight, talk to an accountant or lawyer early; this is general information, not legal advice.
Sources
Cover image: © Liquid Swords.
