Rag Doll Kung Fu gains US retail release

PC software publisher Merscom has announced the imminent US retail release of Rag Doll Kung Fu, the acclaimed game from former Lionhead Studios designer and Media Molecule co-founder, Mark Healey.

Rag Doll Kung Fu, which started out as a side project for Healey during his time at Peter Molyneux's Lionhead Studios, is the first wholly independently developed game to be distributed through Valve's Steam service.

The innovative martial arts game, which uses entirely physics-based animation and collision, has received significant critical acclaim and secured a place as a finalist in the Develop Industry Excellence Awards for Innovation and New PC Intellectual Property.

"I'm totally thrilled that this game has made it to retail," said Healey.

"When I started making it at my kitchen table, I never dreamt that I would even finish it, let alone see it being sold all over the world!"

Merscom will publish the game in North America this August, retailing at US$ 19.99 and offering gamers a choice between a non-Steam version for those without Internet access and a Steam build for access to free updates, patches and community support. The publisher plans to include several undisclosed 'extras' in the retail package in an effort to "provide even more value for customers."

Since his departure from Lionhead Studios last December, Healey has established Media Molecule, a new independent studio co-founded by several colleagues who also contributed to the creation of Rag Doll Kung Fu.

The new company is currently working on an undisclosed next-gen project and readying a demo of the game to pitch to prospective publishers.