Samson dev Liquid Swords has reportedly gone bankrupt

Liquid Swords, the Swedish developer and publisher behind the recently released GTA-like Samson, has filed for bankruptcy following an order issued by the Stockholm District Court. Liquid Swords was founded by former Avalanche Studios co-founder Christofer Sundberg, who oversaw the development of all four Just Cause games during his time at the studio. Following Liquid Swords’ founding in 2020, the studio’s first and only title, Samson, was released to Steam on April 8, 2026. Samson was released to less-than-stellar reviews and is currently sitting at a score of 51 percent on Metacritic. Critics and players primarily took issue with Samson’s litany of bugs and performance-related issues at launch, which resulted in an impassioned apology letter from Sundberg on Steam. Sundberg described the game’s state at launch as “unacceptable,” and vowed to address its “game-breaking bugs and performance issues” in future patches. To Liquid Swords’ credit, Samson has received several updates since release. As reported by Swedish news site Breakit (via Gametalk), the Stockholm District Court issued the bankruptcy order against Liquid Swords on October 12.

Earlier this year, Swedish developer Liquid Swords released Samson, a GTA-ish, open world beat 'em up about dealing with debt, driving sturdy but battered cars, and saving your sister. It wasn't received all that well, including by us, notably because it was quite broken. While subsequent patches did seek to address those issues, it doesn't seem like it was quite enough, as the developer has gone bankrupt. As reported by Swedish outlet Breakit (via Gametalk), on October 12th the Stockholm District Court put out a bankruptcy order against the developer. According to Breakit, almost 30 employees are affected, with the Swedish state stepping in to cover all unpaid salaries. It seems that staff had gone at least two months without pay, obviously a significant period to be without it, and they themselves petitioned to file the company as bankrupt. Breakit also said that the administrator for the bankruptcy filing is hopeful in regards to finding a buyer.

Obrist, the Austrian engineering firm famous for ripping battery cells out of a Tesla Model 3 and bolting a gas engine into the frunk, is bankrupt. Three companies in the Obrist Group are insolvent with combined debts of about €31.8 million, or roughly $37 million. The company spent over a decade pitching its “HyperHybrid” range extender as the smarter alternative to battery-electric cars. It never got a single production vehicle out of it.

Austin Manchester is a writer and editor living in New York City. At Polygon, he covers gaming and entertainment news, reviews new video games, interviews behind-the-scenes talent, and more. He enjoys discovering hidden gems and sharing them with Polygon's audience. Previously, he was the gaming editor for AIPT Comics and has written for other outlets like XDA, How-To Geek, and The List. He enjoys soulslikes, character-driven RPGs, and third-person shooters plucked straight out of the Xbox 360 era. He also likes to flex his non-video game nerdy knowledge sometimes, whether that's explaining who's who in the new Wolverine game or recommending a comic book series about a sentient sword.

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