Christofer Sundberg, founder of Samson developer Liquid Swords, has given more detail on the new studio he plans to start after Liquid Swords’ bankruptcy. According to Rock Paper Shotgun, which cited an interview he gave PC Gamer, the plan includes a small team, low running costs and limited use of generative AI.
Swedish outlets reported over the weekend that Liquid Swords had gone bankrupt less than a year after it released Samson, its first game. Sundberg, who previously led work on Just Cause, then confirmed on LinkedIn that the studio is closing. In the same post he said he would return with a new studio built around the current market, and that lessons from Liquid Swords would shape how he builds it.
Sundberg stressed that nothing is in place yet. Speaking to PC Gamer, as reported by Rock Paper Shotgun, he said he wants an experienced team making a game it can afford to finish without relying on every sales forecast coming true. He said the studio needs “room to make a wrong turn, fix it, and keep going without putting the whole company at risk.”
He said generative AI would help with prototyping, repetitive production tasks and testing, but would not be used to cut roles or save money, noting that AI is expensive too. Sundberg said he is positive about the tools but doesn’t think calling a studio “AI-first” counts as a production plan or business strategy. In his view, teams need people who know the work well enough to tell when AI is useful and when to turn it off.
Rock Paper Shotgun noted that the PC version of Samson had serious bugs early on. The outlet said the game’s loop, built around paying off debt, had a distinct character, but that the bugs and the constraints the game was made under kept it from reaching its potential.
Comments
No comments yet. Start the discussion.