Who Made 7 Days To Die? The Origin Story

Shahrukh S

Shahrukh Sial is a gaming content writer at Sparked Host. He covers game guides, tips, and updates to help players improve their skills and enjoy a better gaming experience.

Nov 3 2025

7 Days to Die is a very special game. It is one of the most successful games about how to survive. Many players think a huge company made this game. But that is not true. This popular game did not come from a huge company that makes AAA Studios games. The game started with humble beginnings, making mods and a lot of passion.

This story is about a small, dedicated group of old-school software developers. They had a very strong vision. They wanted to create a game where players could build, fight zombies, and do some cool ass MacGyver shit to survive. These software developers founded a team. They decided to take risky things into their own hands. They did not want to work for many top companies anymore.

This blog will show you the roots of 7 Days to Die. We will tell you who the creators are. We will show you how their simple ideas early on became the massive game you play today.

The Fun Pimps: Creators Of 7 Days To Die

The group of developers who created 7 Days to Die is called The Fun Pimps.

The Fun Pimps are a highly experienced game team of software developers. They were tired of the normal way of game and software development. They had worked for years at AAA video game companies. They felt they could not create the games they wanted. Core die team members, like Christian Lang and Joel Huenink, had a strong vision for survival games. They wanted to make a lasting gaming experience that was truly innovative.

They left their old jobs. They set up their own studio for software development work. Their main passion was to make a game where the community was most important. This meant customers taking input and making sure the game was always new.

This team has always liked being close to their community. Even when they were a small, dedicated group, their goal was to create everyone's game. They wanted to make a game that they would love to play and never stop.

How Many People Work At The Fun Pimps?

When the studio started, The Fun Pimps was just a very small dedicated group of friends. These friends were veterans of software development who came from humble beginnings.

• In the beginning, the core die team members were just a few software developers and artists. They often talk about how they started with humble beginnings, making mods for other games.

• As the game became more popular, the team grew slowly. The Fun Pimps did not want to be like the AAA Studios. They did not want too many people working for them. They felt that a large team member count hurt the passion and focus of the team.

• Today, the Fun Pimps studio has gotten big. But it is still a small team. They are much smaller than those huge AAA video game companies. The number of people changes, but it is a small group of highly experienced game software developers. They only focus on game and software development for 7 Days to Die.

They keep their team small and focused. This helps them keep their original strong vision. It lets them make fast changes. This is why the game has changed so much over the years.

Where Are The Fun Pimps Based?

The game is known all over the world. But the Fun Pimps studio is mostly based in the United States.

The original software developers founded the company in the US. The die team members were veterans of software development working all over the world for many top companies. So, they decided to create a studio where people could work from anywhere.

This meant The Fun Pimps could hire the best software developers. They did not have to be limited to one town. This was one of the risky things they did that turned out well. It is a good example of modern game and software development. They came from humble beginnings. This taught them how to be smart and innovative. The team that helps them create the game is spread out across the world.

What Other Games Have The Fun Pimps Made?

The Fun Pimps have chosen to put almost all their labor and passion into 7 Days to Die.

The founding software developers came from many top companies. They had worked on many different games. But this studio has focused only on its one successful game. Their original ideas early on were only about making a survival game that was different. They decided that their main focus would be on making that one game the best it could be.

Most AAA video game companies make a new game every year. The Fun Pimps took a different path. They believed that putting all their labor into one game would give their community a truly lasting gaming experience. They have spent over ten years making sure 7 Days to Die lets players do cool ass MacGyver shit. This keeps the fun of kicking zombie ass alive.

7 Days To Die Started On Kickstarter

The start of the game is linked to getting money from players. The Fun Pimps knew they had a strong vision. But they needed the support of the community to start kicking off their project. They needed to move past their humble beginnings, making mods.

• When: The Fun Pimps asked for money on Kickstarter in July 2013.

• The Goal: They asked for a small amount of support to finish the first version of the game.

• The Result: The campaign was a huge success. They got much more money than they asked for. This showed the team that players really wanted a game that mixed base building, fighting zombies, and crafting. The support helped the software developers founded by Christian Lang and Joel Huenink to hire more people as the team grew.

The Kickstarter success gave The Fun Pimps the support to keep taking risky things. This includes keeping the game in Early Access for so long. They kept making it better based on customers ' input from the community. It proved that their strong vision was exactly what the world of gaming needed.

Timeline Of 7 Days To Die Updates

The history of 7 Days to Die is best seen by looking at its huge updates. The Fun Pimps have used customer input to change the game with almost every new version. This timeline shows how the team grew the game. It went from simple to the big, complex survival game it is today. This shows the importance of game and software development that listens to its community.

Alpha 10 — 2014

This Alpha added skills for your character. Players could now get abilities beyond the basic settings. This was one of the first ideas, early on, that added a role-playing game feeling.

Alpha 11 — 2015

This update added a new quality system for items. Items now had levels from 1 to 6. This meant a better tool or weapon would last longer.

Alpha 12 — 2015

The game got better lights and better random world creation. This was a key step to make the world look better.

Alpha 13 — 2015

A big change to the skill system was added here. The team changed how players unlocked recipes and abilities. It became even more like role-playing games.

Alpha 14 — 2016

The game focused on making the online game better. This made online co-op play much smoother for other players. The team also added new places to the world.

Alpha 15 — 2016

This update added traders to the world. Players could now sell and buy items. This changed how players had to survive.

Alpha 16 — 2017

Big support was added for base building. The electricity system was put in. This lets players create advanced defenses to protect their bases from zombies.

Alpha 18 — 2019

The game changed the perk system again. It added a more complex path to get stronger. The team also added the new Daring Adventurer perk. This helped players get better loot.

Alpha 19 — 2020

This Alpha focused on POI changes and a better loot system. The team made sure that players could find smarter items when they searched a specific place.

Alpha 20 — 2021

This was a very big change. It added thousands of new POIs to the world. It added complex shapes for better base building. The team increased the details in every part of the game.

Alpha 21 — 2023

The team made big changes to the quest and skill system. They made players read magazines to unlock recipes. This brought back some of the original ideas early in development.

Version 1.0 (Exit Early Access) — 2024

This was a major step. The game finally left Early Access. The team officially released the full version. They added new challenges and an update called "Warriors of the Wasteland." The Fun Pimps promised new things would keep coming.

Version 2.0 (“Storm’s Brewing”) — 2025

(This is the current version now) This big version added new weather events. It added smart AI for zombies. It added new end-game content. This includes advanced traps. These let players perform even more cool ass MacGyver shit against the zombie ass. The developers keep showing their passion for game and software development that works.

Conclusion

The story of 7 Days to Die is more than just a game. It is about a few highly experienced game software developers. They had the passion and strong vision to leave the safety of AAA Studios. They decided to start kicking off their own project. The Fun Pimps studio, started by people like Christian Lang and Joel Huenink, proved their strong vision could create a huge, lasting gaming experience. And they listen to their community.

From their humble beginnings making mods and asking for money on Kickstarter, the team grew. They did this by focusing all their labor on just one game. They have built an innovative world. Players are always finding new ways to survive. They are always finding creative ways to survive and defeat the zombie ass. The Fun Pimps are a team of member who still works hard to make sure 7 Days to Die remains everyone's game. The story of this game shows the importance of customers taking input. It shows that a few dedicated people can make one of the biggest survival games in the world. Now, go grab your tool and play the game that this amazing team keeps working on.