The Rise and Fall of Credit Suisse: A New Docuseries Explores the Collapse

Munich-based Autentic has acquired international rights to the Swiss docuseries “Game Over – The Fall of Credit Suisse,” directed by Simon Helbling. This four-part series chronicles the dramatic collapse of Credit Suisse in 2023 and its subsequent takeover by UBS. It investigates the corporate culture of high risk and greed that characterized Credit Suisse, revealing how this environment led to significant losses while prioritizing executive bonuses. The series traces the bank's history from the 1970s, illustrating the inevitability of its downfall.

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The docuseries features prominent figures from the financial industry, including UBS CEO Sergio Ermotti, UBS board chairman Colm Kelleher, former Credit Suisse CEO Josef Ackermann, and Swiss Finance Minister Karin Keller-Sutter. The series is co-written by journalist Arthur Rutishauser and produced by Contrast Film in collaboration with Swiss media group Tamedia, Swiss Studios, and Kinescope Filmproduktion. Producers Ivan Madeo and Anke Beining-Wellhausen from Contrast Film, along with Tamedia’s Stefan Halter and Malte Probst of Swiss Studios, played significant roles in the project.

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“Game Over – The Fall of Credit Suisse” is notable for being the first documentary series produced under Switzerland’s new investment obligation scheme, Lex Netflix, which mandates that streaming services invest a portion of their revenue in Swiss film production. This initiative has allowed the series to be financed predominantly by private investors, marking a significant shift in the Swiss documentary landscape.

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Mirjam Strasser, director of sales and acquisitions at Autentic, emphasized the series' appeal, stating, “This high-stakes financial thriller...paints a gripping picture of one of the most spectacular financial scandals in recent history.” Producer Ivan Madeo described the process of interviewing decision-makers as a “gruelling two-year task,” highlighting the challenges faced in obtaining candid insights from those responsible for the bank's decline.

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While the series aims to provide an in-depth look at the factors leading to Credit Suisse's collapse, some critics may question the portrayal of key figures and the potential bias in presenting their narratives. The documentary's reliance on interviews with those involved in the bank's operations could lead to concerns about accountability and transparency.

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• “This high-stakes financial triller appealing to an audience far beyond Switzerland paints a gripping picture of one of the most spectacular financial scandals in recent history,” — Mirjam Strasser, Director of Sales and Acquisitions, Autentic

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• “Getting them out of their shell was a gruelling two-year task, marked by many backroom discussions and threats from lawyers, but it was also a thoroughly fascinating experience, which I was able to undertake with the investigative journalist Arthur Rutishauser, editor-in-chief of the Swiss newspaper SonntagsZeitung.” — Ivan Madeo, Producer, Contrast Film

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The docuseries has already garnered attention, winning the best documentary award at the Giessen International Series Festival and becoming the most successful documentary in Swiss cinemas in 2025. Following this project, Contrast Film is set to produce another series titled “Gold,” which will explore the darker aspects of the global gold trade.

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