Liquid Swords enters bankruptcy after unpaid staff petition against the Samson studio

Swedish developer Liquid Swords, founded in 2020 by Avalanche Studios co-founder Christofer Sundberg, has entered bankruptcy following a formal order issued on October 12. Breakit reports that around 30 employees petitioned for the bankruptcy after going unpaid for at least two months. Sweden's state wage guarantee is expected to step in to cover the missing salaries. [1][2]

The studio struggled to maintain momentum after releasing its debut title, the open-city crime simulator Samson: A Tyndalston Story. The game faced persistent funding hurdles during development, leading to staff cuts and a redesign from an action RPG into a run-based structure. Samson arrived on PC on April 8 before hitting PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S on September 21, but it was plagued by mixed reviews and performance issues that recent patches failed to overcome. [1][2]

Bankruptcy administrator Cirio Law is now searching for a buyer, putting the studio and its underlying assets up for sale through October 21. The collapse adds to a growing wave of industry turmoil, joining major cutbacks across other game makers in recent weeks. [1][2]