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Liquid Swords Bankrupt, Saros Update, AI Fears Delay Demos

Oct 19, 2026

Liquid Swords has filed for bankruptcy, while indie developers are restricting public demos over fears of AI-assisted cloning GamesIndustry.bizEurogamer. Housemarque’s free Saros update adds New Game+ and Boss Rush on PS5 PlayStation BlogVGC.

Liquid Swords Files for Bankruptcy After Samson Release

Samson studio Liquid Swords files for bankruptcy, staff reportedly unpaid for two monthsSamson Developer Issues Statement As Studio Is Forced To CloseGamesIndustry.bizPure Xbox

Samson developer Liquid Swords has filed for bankruptcy after employees reportedly went unpaid for two months GamesIndustry.biz. The studio’s founder, Christofer Sundberg, said Samson performed better on consoles than on PC, but the improved console sales were not enough to save the company Pure XboxPush Square.

Founded in 2020 by Avalanche Studios co-founder Sundberg, Liquid Swords received investment from NetEase in 2022 This Week in Video Games. The studio says it is discussing continued support for Samson Pure Xbox.

Indie Developers Restrict Demos Over AI Cloning Fears

Moonlighter dev delays Steam playtest for its "Tower Defensevania" ReVamp over concerns that AI copycats might clone it before launchMoonlighter developer delays public playtest of next game over concerns of AI cloningEurogamerGame Developer

Digital Sun has delayed the public Steam playtest for ReVamp, its “Tower Defensevania,” over concerns that the game could be reverse-engineered and cloned before release EurogamerRock Paper Shotgun. The developer is limiting early testing to its Discord community instead Game Developer.

Alliance Arts and Who You also cancelled the public demo for Drunken Goddess Reflux over concerns that copycats could use AI to reproduce the game This Week in Video Games. Steam Next Fest begins with more than twice as many demos as last year, alongside concerns about AI-generated games, plagiarism and discoverability Eurogamer.

Funcom Faces Layoffs as Dune: Awakening Restructures

Dune: Awakening studio faces layoffs as it restructures following console releaseEurogamer

Funcom is restructuring and bracing for layoffs following the console release of Dune: Awakening, the studio behind the game and Conan Exiles Eurogamer. The company made a similar move the previous year, months after Dune: Awakening’s initial PC release Eurogamer.

Saros Gets Free PS5 Update With New Game+ and Boss Rush

The Saros: Zenith update out today, brings more ways to play for newcomers and veterans alikeSaros' Massive Zenith Update Is Available Now on PS5, Free for All PlayersPlayStation BlogPush Square

Housemarque’s free Zenith update for Saros is available now on PS5, adding New Game+ and a Boss Rush mode PlayStation BlogVGC. The 3.5GB update also includes an auto-fire option and changes intended to make the game more accessible to newcomers Push SquareVGCPlayStation Blog.

PEGI Raises Ratings for Digital Games With Loot Boxes

PEGI begins moving existing digital-only games with loot boxes up to a 16 ratingGamesIndustry.biz

PEGI is moving existing digital-only games with paid random items to PEGI 16 when their current rating is PEGI 3, 7 or 12 GamesIndustry.biz. The change applies to games already available, not just new releases GamesIndustry.biz.

End of Monday's overview · 5 stories from 9 outlets

Previous overviewOct 18, 2026