Starbreeze Studios raided by Swedish Crime Authority

Documents have been seized and one person has been arrested in a raid over suspected insider trading.

Starbreeze Studios, known for games like Overkill’s The Walking Dead and Dead by Daylight, were raided this morning by the Swedish Crime Authority. During the raid, several documents were seized and one individual was arrested in relation to suspicions over insider trading. Addressing the situation, Starbreeze told GamesIndustry.biz the following:

“On Wednesday, the Swedish Economic Crime Authority conducted a search query at Starbreeze AB. The company has been informed that this has occurred due to suspicions of insider charges. The company as such is not subject to any suspicion. The company cooperates fully with the Swedish Economic Crime Authority. The event does not affect the company or the ongoing business reconstruction. Starbreeze has no further information on the matter.”

Starbreeze CEO, Bo Andersson Klint, resigned from the company earlier this week. Mikael Nermark has since stepped in to replace Klint as acting CEO. Due to various factors, including poor sales figures from Overkill’s The Walking Dead, Starbreeze has applied for reconstruction with the Stockholm District Court.

According to reports from Starbreeze, the company was down $11.3 million in pre-tax loss last quarter. Because of this, they’ve taken steps to cut costs moving forward. Noting the company’s future plans, Starbreeze Chairman Michael Hjorth shared a positive outlook with GamesIndustry.biz.

“We have a base to work with in regards to the number of games sold. We have a pulse of concurrent players, which is essential to future performance within the framework of our Games-as-a-Service concept. The team is working at full capacity to deliver improvements to the game and new content, and Season 2 [Overkill’s The Walking Dead] will be starting soon.”

Even though Starbreeze has put forward a calm face in the wake of the raid, many have expressed concerns over the company’s financial situation. Will this impact the development of Overkill’s The Walking Dead moving forward? What’s more, if the financial situation continues to deteriorate, could we be looking at the possible closure of Starbreeze Studios?

We’ll continue to update as more information is released. Until then, what are your thoughts on the raid of Starbreeze and the company’s financial predicament? Let us know down in the comments below.

Morgan is a writer, indie game lover, and socially awkward coffee addict. Need something? Morgan can be reached at morgan.shaver@allgamers.com or if you like, you can say hello using GIFs on Twitter.

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