Daniel Vávra, the director behind the Kingdom Come: Deliverance franchise, has publicly sympathized with the rocky launch of Samson, a new crime-thriller from a co-director of the original Just Cause, noting that the indie title’s survival struggle could have easily been the fate of his own studio.
A Harsh Reality for Indie Developers
Samson, the debut project from Liquid Swords Games, faced a challenging launch earlier this month. The title suffered from a lack of promotion and significant technical bugs, resulting in a “Mixed” rating on Steam. Vávra, who previously worked on the Mafia series, admitted he was initially drawn to the game due to its aesthetic and the pedigree of its developers.
“It really looks FAN-TAS-TIC!… and it’s a eurojank,” Vávra noted on social media. Despite the bugs, he offered a candid perspective on the production hurdles that plagued the project. “An indie development team, couldn’t find a publisher, layoffs, cutting back on the original plan, rushed self-publishing without advertising, bugs, a struggle for survival. It could easily have happened to [Kingdom Come: Deliverance] as well.”
The Road to Release
The difficulties faced by Liquid Swords are well-documented. In mid-2025, the studio was forced to lay off half its staff, leading to a pivot from a sprawling action-RPG to a more contained, roguelike-inspired experience. The studio also faced multiple rejections from publishers, with one firm reportedly passing on the project five separate times.
Ultimately, the release of Samson became a matter of necessity rather than a reflection of a fully polished vision. Vávra’s own experience with Warhorse Studios, which he co-founded in 2011, involved a similarly grueling process of pitching and securing funding to bring Kingdom Come: Deliverance to life.
An Unpredictable Industry Future
Vávra views the current state of the gaming industry as increasingly volatile and difficult to navigate. He anticipates that the narrative surrounding Samson—a project stifled by industry instability—will become a recurring theme throughout the year as more titles struggle to find their footing.
“For the money, it’s not bad. Give it a try. It looks really great,” Vávra added regarding the game. “But I have a feeling that given the number of announced titles, we’ll be hearing a few more stories like this this year.”
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