Liquid Bit
- Open roles
- 0
- Founded
- 2016
- Employees
- N/A
- Offices
- 1
About Liquid Bit
Liquid Bit is an independent video game developer and publisher established in December 2016 in the Chicago area. Its work has focused on connected multiplayer experiences, combining game design, networking engineering and development across home consoles and PC. Its principal commercial release is Killer Queen Black, developed in partnership with BumbleBear Games, the creator of the original Killer Queen arcade game.
The collaboration adapted the ten-player arcade concept into an eight-player home game built around competitive 4v4 action. Liquid Bit rebuilt the experience in Unity, developing mechanics and online systems suited to console and PC play. The project brought together action, strategy and platforming, with cross-platform multiplayer central to its design.
Killer Queen Black launched for Windows PC and Nintendo Switch on October 11, 2019, with physical retail distribution through Nighthawk Interactive. Liquid Bit subsequently completed its own ports for Xbox One, Google Stadia and Amazon Luna during 2021. The game also joined Xbox Game Pass, Stadia Pro and Luna+, extending its availability across subscription and cloud gaming services. This work combined multiplayer development with the technical demands of supporting several distinct platforms.
Commercial shutdown and community return
The game's original online infrastructure depended on Amazon GameSparks. When that service was discontinued, replacing the backend would have required a rewrite beyond the studio's available financial resources. Liquid Bit delisted Killer Queen Black on October 6, 2022, and official matchmaking ended on November 30. Commercial studio operations subsequently became dormant.
The game's later return grew out of independent work by co-founder Matt Tesch. Working in his spare time, he updated it to Unity 6 and restored online play through peer-to-peer connections. In July 2026, Killer Queen Black returned to Steam as a free game for non-commercial use under the Liquid Bit publishing label. That release continues the game's availability while the studio remains inactive as a commercial development business.
More about Liquid Bit
Founders and historical leadership
The founding team included Matt Tesch, Adam Walters and Mike Chorak. During active production, their respective roles were CEO, CTO and Chief Architect. Tesch later moved to other professional pursuits; the historical titles do not establish current executive appointments.
Multiplayer engineering
The original online implementation combined authoritative server netcode with Vivox-driven cross-platform voice chat. These were specific components of the game's connected play architecture before the later peer-to-peer restoration.
Community continuity
In December 2022, the studio released an experimental direct-connect branch called KQB Underground to help the community continue playing after official matchmaking ended. The later Steam return received community performance patch v1.70.7 on July 25, 2026.
Notable credits
1 creditOffices
Where Liquid Bit is based
- Oak Park, Illinois, United States
Oak Park office
HeadquartersAbout this office
Overall studio headquarters and historical operational base in metropolitan Chicago. Commercial operations are dormant; physical closure is not established.
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