Liquid Sword Announces Difficult Job Cuts for Long-Term Studio Sustainability
By The NetEase-supported studio Liquid Swords has announced a wave of layoffs, labeling the job eliminations “deeply regrettable” yet essential for “the studio’s future viability.”
Established by Christofer Sundberg, a co-founder of Avalanche Studios, Liquid Swords disclosed recently plans to “downsize its staff,” citing the layoffs as “a necessary step in adjusting operations to current market realities.”
The Swedish studio expressed that it “completely understands the hardship of this situation for its valued employees” and indicated it would offer all team members “as much assistance as possible,” although it refrained from specifying what that support would involve.
It also did not indicate how many personnel were affected.
“I assured our employees and stakeholders of success and the creation of a studio that redefines game development with a compact, skilled team and a sustainable work approach,” Sundberg remarked. “While we achieved much of this, changing market conditions hindered us from meeting our expected timeline.
“Consequently, we are forced to part ways with talented individuals who have played a significant role in our journey. This is incredibly difficult, but we remain committed to our vision and will persist in developing our intellectual property and debut game with a focused team.”
Liquid Swords asserts its commitment to Sundberg’s vision of “streamlining the game development process.”
In just the first six weeks of 2025 alone, over 900 developers have lost their jobs, with reductions and shutdowns occurring at Freejam, Splash Damage, Piranha Games, Jar of Sparks, in addition to 185 job cuts