Samson Developer Liquid Swords Files For Bankruptcy

Samson Developer Faces Bankruptcy Following Rough Launch Published Oct 17, 2026, 12:21 PM EDT Nazmul Roosevelt is a journalist who has spent years covering the video games industry with a focus on clarity, accessibility, and genuine curiosity. He works to help players understand the people, craft, and decisions behind the entertainment they love. From game developers, to the technical artists, and communities shaping modern gaming; if you have a story worth sharing, he’s always open to hearing it... And if you happen to know anything about that secret Twin Peaks game in development, he’d especially like to talk. Sign in to your TheGamer account It's becoming easier to believe that Samson is this year's MindsEye after a rough saga of roadmaps, layoffs, and rough critical reception. Samson launched at a budget $24.99 earlier this year, and had the vibes of an AA game, but that charm quickly faded once you played it. It seems that things have taken a grim turn, as developer Liquid Swords is now filing for bankruptcy. As reported by BreakIt, nearly 30 employees are expected to receive state support while a court‑appointed trustee attempts to find a buyer for the company. This comes after the founding of the studio in 2020, as the collective was made up of developers who previously worked on Just Cause (the CEO of the company was Avalanche's co-founder), with the ethos of removing crunch and unnecessary meetings to result in "zero-nonsense game development." Studio Founded By Avalanche Veterans Faces Collapse Samson’s Future Hinges On Whether A Buyer Steps In Breakit’s reporting confirms that internal financial issues had already begun months earlier, with salaries going unpaid for months, as employees were left in limbo as the studio attempted to stay afloat. The bankruptcy means Samson will likely remain Liquid Swords’ only release. The trustee overseeing the case has expressed hope that a buyer could emerge, but there is no guarantee that the game, or the studio’s planned updates, will receive further support past the latest patch from October 9th. After a steady roadmap of updates, the game had been placed in a better position when it first entered the hands of players. One positive review on Steam even mentions that when they returned to the game after a 50 percent off sale, noting, "Combat feels better, the performance is solid, and the more time I spend playing the more I am able to appreciate the features Liquid Swords have chosen to prioritize with their smaller AA game budget." Now, it doesn't seem like there's going to be much of a future for Samson, nor its development team. For a team built around industry veterans and a mission to rethink how development culture exists in its current state of the industry, the sudden collapse of Liquid Swords is a sobering reminder of how volatile mid‑sized studios remain, even with recognizable leadership and a promising pitch. Whether the talent behind Samson finds a future beyond this bankruptcy now depends entirely on whether someone sees the team as worth saving. Released April 8, 2026 ESRB Mature 17+ / Blood, Strong Language, Use of Drugs, Violence Developer(s) Liquid Swords Publisher(s) Liquid Swords Genre(s) Action, Adventure, Racing, Roguelite