Battling Layoffs, GTA Comparisons, And The Industry's "Crap:" How Just Cause's Creator Is Risking It All

After years of development, and significant upheaval that led to half the development staff being laid off and a major change to the project, Liquid Swords is releasing its first game, the gritty crime game Samson: A Tyndalston Story, on April 8 for PC. The studio was founded in 2022 by Christofer Sundberg, the outspoken and opinionated co-creator of the Just Cause series at Avalanche who branched off to start a "zero-nonsense" studio in Liquid Swords.

As Sundberg sees it, modern, traditional game development has become overwhelmed by "distractions that affect quality and motivation," and Samson coming to market this week will show off what a studio with that charter is capable of delivering.

GameSpot caught up with Sundberg this week to discuss his new game, the comparisons people are making to GTA, and its $25 price point. Sundberg also shared details on how Liquid Swords had to pull back the game's scope and ambition as a result of the layoffs in 2025 that the team said were necessary to keep the studio afloat for the long term.