Samson Studio Liquid Swords Shuts Down Despite Better Console Sales

Did you hear about Samson's developer calling it quits? Liquid Swords, the Swedish studio behind the open-world crime game, is shutting down. Founder Christofer Sundberg confirmed the news after bankruptcy reports surfaced, simply saying, "Liquid Swords is closing."

Samson first launched on PC in April, but the console edition for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S that arrived in September "did far better," according to Sundberg. Still, he admitted, "It wasn't enough to save the studio." So even a stronger console performance couldn't turn things around.

But here's a silver lining: Samson might have a future beyond Liquid Swords. Sundberg said the team is "discussing continued support for Samson." In a post on X, he wrote, "I'm proud of our team and what we built. We're discussing continued support for Samson. We make mistakes, we learn, we rise, we move on. I never give up. More soon." That's a pretty determined tone for someone whose studio is closing its doors.

The human cost is significant. According to a report, all 27 employees at Liquid Swords are being let go as part of the bankruptcy process. Workers reportedly didn't get paid for two months, but those salaries will be covered by local laws in Sweden. That's at least some relief for the team.

Liquid Swords had pitched itself as a "zero-nonsense" game studio. Sundberg said, "Game development has become so full of distractions that affect quality and motivation." His ambition was to "change that" by eliminating crunch and "useless" meetings, and by not taking on "unnecessary stakeholders." It was a bold vision, but in the end, it didn't work out.

Samson will be Liquid Swords' one and only release. Sundberg co-founded Just Cause studio Avalanche and spent more than a decade there before leaving to start Liquid Swords. He's also known for his hot takes on the gaming industry, including a very bleak outlook on the state of gaming today.

So what happens next for Samson? Will you be keeping an eye on any continued support? Let us know in the comments!