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Bio


I remember that first experience...

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Bio


I remember that first experience...

The first time I picked up a NES controller and started playing Super Mario Bros, I was entranced by the glowing pixels that came to life at the press of my fingertips.  The characters.  The challenges to overcome. The experiences.

It was MAGICAL!!

From a young age, I knew what I wanted to do when I grew up.  I wanted to MAKE GAMES!

Over the years I built all sorts of little games.  Board games, card games, point-and-click adventures built in HyperCard.  Eventually I was able to dabble in real programming and some 3D applications.  I was going to do this.  I was going to be a game developer....

But then reality hit me in the face like the unforgiving fist of an 8-bit era Mike Tyson.

Nobody was making money, making games, in rural Idaho.  The internet was in its infancy.  I couldn't afford to move, or get the degree I thought I would need to get hired in the industry.  I was becoming an "adult" now, and my dreams felt impossible to realize.

"Some day..." I promised myself….

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Fast forward 15+ years...

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Fast forward 15+ years...

A lot changed since then.  The internet became ubiquitous, indie games went mainstream, and the game industry became bigger than Hollywood.  I got married, made a family, served time in the military, and then landed a job at a Fortune 500 company.  I had a good, steady job...

...a steady... soul-sucking... job.  I wasn't getting any younger.  I couldn't do it anymore.  Something had to change!

After a decade and a half of running with the Lemmings, I was ready for a change.  In between working full-time, taking college courses online, and raising a family, I spent every ounce of free time I could find over the next couple of years, learning everything I could about game development and working on my first real game--Guts and Glory.

Guts and Glory turned into an "overnight" sensation, opening doors and giving me the opportunity to pursue my dream.  After a successful Kickstarter campaign and publisher deal, I quit my day job and took a leap of faith--I began making games full-time for a living.  Yikes!

Although it was a scary transition, it was totally worth.  I've met a ton of awesome people during this crazy journey, a very nice community has formed around the wacky projects I want to make and, after all these years, I'm livin’ the dream baby!

If you're one of those people that helped me make all of this happen then THANK YOU so much for your support!  It might just be the purchase of a little indie game to you, but it means to world to me, so thank you.

I'm passionate and determined to build awesome games that are worth your time.  Experiences that will make you laugh, make you cry, make you scream at your screen, and make you feel awesome when you overcome a challenge.  Projects that push boundaries and explore new ideas... and games that are just stupid fun!

But today, game development isn't a one-way street.  Like a game of D&D with good friends, it's a co-op adventure to create something fun and memorable.  Many of the best games these days seem to be created by the players as much as the developers, so I invite you to join me in this journey and help to create something epic. Let’s connect and talk games!

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Everything Changed in 2020

For the better!

A series of fortunate events lead me to a unique opportunity to hire a team and expand the company. I joined forces with worldwide, indie games publisher tinyBuild, and together we formed HakJak Studios.

After announcing this partnership, I received well over a hundred job applications from the Idaho area and around the world! I was floored. My lifelong dream of building a game studio right here in my home state was actually happening! Now I could build bigger, better games then I could ever hope to accomplish all on my own.

Despite being in the middle of The COVID-19 Epidemic, we rushed headlong to form the business, get everyone hired, order equipment, and start working on a massively ambitious project: Pigeon Simulator!

I’m excited to continue this new chapter and create more epic games than I ever could alone. There’s nothing more satisfying than dreaming up something in your head, making it a reality, and watching it bring joy to millions of people. Even more so when you get the privilege of doing it with an amazing team.

Lots more to come! Follow us on our socials to keep up with the latest, and thank you for stopping by :)

Sincerely,

Jed “HakJak” Steen


— Meet the Team —

Click a profile below to read their fun bios!


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Together, We Create!

Get in Touch

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Together, We Create!

Get in Touch