Samson Studio Liquid Swords Goes Bankrupt, Staff Unpaid for Two Months

Liquid Swords, the Swedish studio behind Samson, has been declared bankrupt after employees reportedly went unpaid for two months. The administrator is now seeking a buyer for the studio's intellectual property and assets, and all 27 employees are being dismissed.

Administrator and law firm Cirio published a preliminary bidding document for potential buyers last week. Employees reportedly petitioned for the bankruptcy themselves after missing two months of pay. Their salaries will be covered by the Swedish state wage guarantee.

The studio's trouble was visible before the filing. Founder Christofer Sundberg described an "acute liquidity shortage" at Liquid Swords and said: "I don't think it can be resolved."

What is up for sale

According to the bidding document, the assets "consist of intellectual property rights attributable to Samson," the studio's debut title, which launched in April, "and the Company's other intellectual property, together with related development assets, equipment and inventory used in the Company's operations."

The document also lays out how Samson has performed. As of October 14, 2026, the game had sold 151,900 copies and generated SEK 24.1 million ($2.4 million) in revenue. Bids are open until October 21, 2026.

Staff are not part of the deal

Cirio stated that employee contracts "do not transfer with the business, and a takeover of staff requires that a buyer enter into new employment contracts with each employee." Anyone who wants to keep the team together would have to rehire each person individually.

A short history

Sundberg, an Avalanche Studios co-founder, started Liquid Swords in 2020. NetEase took an undisclosed minority stake in the company in 2022. Last February the studio cut its workforce for what it called "the studio's long-term sustainability," without saying how many people were affected.

The studio's only released game, Samson, arrived in April. Its sales figures in the bidding document were compiled less than six months later.