HakJak

HakJak is the independent game development banner of Jedediah “Jed” Steen, based near Boise, Idaho. Its work focuses on physics-based comedy, ragdoll action and emergent gameplay, with an emphasis on situations that produce unexpected results through simulation. The current operation is a solo development practice, relaunched in January 2024 after the closure of the earlier corporate studio.

The business began in 2015 as HakJak Productions and moved into full-time development through a successful Kickstarter campaign in 2016. Its first major title, Guts and Glory, combines survival racing with physics-driven hazards and comedy. Developed by Steen and published by tinyBuild, it entered Steam Early Access in 2017 before its July 2018 release across desktop and console platforms.

From solo development to a distributed studio

In March 2020, tinyBuild partnered with Steen to establish HakJak Studios, a corporate development operation with a distributed workforce. That team worked on Pigeon Simulator, a physics sandbox roguelite featuring procedural city generation and destructible environments. HakJak Studios handled development from 2020 until its closure in December 2023.

The project’s earlier proof-of-concept originated at Bossa Studios. HakJak’s subsequent development contribution belongs to the corporate studio period; tinyBuild retained the intellectual property after closing the studio and published the game in November 2025.

Steen restarted the HakJak banner in January 2024 for independent projects. This renewed solo practice continues the creator’s game development activity while remaining distinct from the shuttered tinyBuild subsidiary. Across its history, HakJak’s work has combined game design, prototyping and technical development with humor-led experimentation and player participation.