Ragdoll LABS Is Stronger Than Ever
It’s been a long time since our last major update. And if you’ve been following Ragdoll LABS for a while, you might have wondered: “Is the project still alive?” The answer is yes ! Not only is it alive… it has evolved far beyond what the game was when we first revealed it. Today
It’s been a long time since our last major update.
And if you’ve been following Ragdoll LABS for a while, you might have wondered:
“Is the project still alive?” The answer is yes!
Not only is it alive… it has evolved far beyond what the game was when we first revealed it.
Today I want to share a bit of the story behind the project: the challenges, the setbacks, and why things went quiet for a while.
Where It All Started
Development of Ragdoll LABS began in January 2022. At the time, I was still a programmer balancing a full-time job with a very uncertain start in game development. My first game had barely sold 10 copies.
I had limited time, limited experience, and honestly… almost no understanding of scope.
Originally, Ragdoll LABS was meant to be a simple physics sandbox where the game itself would provide the levels.
Nothing too ambitious. Or so I thought.
The First Demo
In June 2022, we released the first public demo during Steam Next Fest.
The response from players was encouraging, but there was always a pattern in the feedback:
"This is fun… but something feels missing."
And players were absolutely right. Important systems simply didn’t exist yet.
That moment made me realize I needed to study the genre more deeply and rethink the direction of the game.
Listening to Players
After the festival, I updated the demo and added a Google Forms survey to gather detailed player feedback.
We received 98 responses.
Each one helped clarify what the game needed. But it also showed that the project was still far from reaching its potential.
Around that time I had to make a difficult decision:
Real life responsibilities meant I had to pause development for almost a full year.
But even during that break… I never stopped thinking about the game.
Rewriting the Game (More Than Once)
During nights and weekends, I began rewriting major parts of the engine.
And eventually… I rewrote it again. And again. And again.
In total, Ragdoll LABS has had its core systems rewritten three times since 2022.
It sounds crazy, but each rewrite brought the project closer to what it needed to become.
Demo 0.2 — A Turning Point
In February last year, we released Demo 0.2. Once again, I added a feedback survey.
This time the response was completely different.
Instead of dozens of answers… We received more than 1,000 player responses.
That moment was incredibly motivating.
For the first time, it felt like the project had truly found its direction.
The Biggest Challenge: The Level Editor
With the foundation improving, I decided to tackle one of the biggest ambitions for the game:
A full Level Editor.
But as development began, a big problem became obvious.
Many of the obstacle systems I had built earlier simply weren’t compatible with a player-facing editor.
Large parts of the architecture had to change again.
Development slowed down while I searched for the right solution.
Months later, after testing different approaches, the first obstacles finally started working inside the editor.
That moment felt like a huge victory.
Going Even Further — Steam Workshop
But I didn’t want players to only create levels. I wanted them to share them with the world.
So the next step was integrating the Level Editor directly with the Steam Workshop.
And today I’m happy to say:
That system is now fully implemented.
Players will be able to create, share, rate, and play levels made by the community.
Where the Game Is Today
Taking time for the project to mature turned out to be incredibly valuable.
Today Ragdoll LABS is no longer just a physics sandbox.
It’s a chaotic ragdoll playground powered by a robust and extensible system architecture, designed to grow for years to come.
Sandbox chaos. Creative level building. Community-made challenges. All in one place.
Thank You
I want to thank the amazing community that supported the project over the years.
More than 10,000 players have already tried the demo, and over 1,000 people shared feedback that helped shape the game.
Your support and patience have meant everything.
Final Polishing
Right now the game is in its final polishing phase.
We are currently:
Removing the last placeholder assets
Adding one final weapon system
Polishing gameplay and performance
Preparing everything for release
What Comes Next
The doors of the laboratory are about to open.
And we have never been more excited about the future of this project.
In the coming weeks I’ll be sharing more detailed updates about the game:
The Level Editor
Community features
New gameplay systems
And the upcoming launch
Stay tuned. More news very soon.