# Bulut Karakaya

Co-founder of Second River Games. 16 years shipping award-winning games, now building simulation worlds where language models drive character behaviour.

Bulut Karakaya is a game technical leader based in Cambridge, UK, with over 16 years shipping award-winning games across mobile, PC and console. He is co-founder of [Second River Games](https://second-river-games.com), an independent studio making simulation and management games.

## Current work

**Second River Games, 2025 to present. Role: Co-founder.**

Second River Games is an independent studio in Cambridge, UK, co-founded with Duygu Cakmak. The studio makes simulation and management games: worlds built on carefully designed systems, choices with consequences, and handcrafted detail, with generative AI used where it genuinely makes a world feel alive, giving characters who remember you, interpret what you say, and react. Underneath that sits a firm layer of traditional systems, so every surprise still traces back to a cause.

The studio's first world is Village of Whispers, a living village where a single prophecy can reshape relationships, rituals, politics, and the odds of survival.

Website: [second-river-games.com](https://second-river-games.com)

## Selected games

- **Monument Valley 3**, ustwo games. Role: Lead Programmer.
- **Desta: The Memories Between**, ustwo games. Role: Lead Programmer.
- **Star Trek: Fleet Command**, Digit Game Studios. Role: Lead Unity Programmer.
- **Overfall**, Pera Games. Role: Co-founder and Technical Director.

Full history with roles, studios and links: [Game Projects](https://www.bulutk.com/Projects.html) ([markdown](https://www.bulutk.com/projects.md))

## Awards and honours

### Wins

| Award | Project | Year | Body |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Ensemble 2025, selected as one of eight industry leaders showcasing diverse talent and creativity | | 2025 | London Games Festival |
| Best Mobile Game | Monument Valley 3 | 2025 | Develop:Star Awards |
| Best Casual Game | Monument Valley 3 | 2025 | TIGA Awards |
| Best UK Mobile Game | Monument Valley 3 | 2025 | Ukie Awards |
| Best UK Mobile Game | Desta: The Memories Between | 2024 | Ukie Awards |
| Best Mobile Game | Desta: The Memories Between | 2023 | Develop:Star Awards |
| Strategy Simulation Game, People's Voice | Star Trek: Fleet Command | 2019 | Webby Awards |
| Technical Achievement, People's Voice | Star Trek: Fleet Command | 2019 | Webby Awards |
| Innovation | Egg Fight | 2014 | Kristal Piksel |

### Nominations

| Award | Project | Year | Body |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| British Game | Monument Valley 3 | 2026 | BAFTA Games Awards |
| Mobile Game of the Year | Monument Valley 3 | 2025 | D.I.C.E. Awards |
| Audio Design | Monument Valley 3 | 2025 | D.I.C.E. Awards |
| Original Music Composition | Monument Valley 3 | 2025 | D.I.C.E. Awards |
| Best Music in Casual/Social Game | Star Trek: Fleet Command | 2019 | G.A.N.G. Awards |
| Excellence in Convergence | Star Trek: Fleet Command | 2019 | SXSW Gaming |
| IGF Competition Entrant | Overfall | 2016 | Independent Games Festival |

## About

With over 16 years in game development, I have led programming and technical direction on award-winning games including Monument Valley 3, Desta: The Memories Between, and Star Trek: Fleet Command. My work spans gameplay architecture, team leadership, production delivery, and turning uncertain prototypes into shipped products.

Before founding Second River, I was Head of Game Development at Philosopher King, an AI-native studio, where I rebuilt the game architecture in Unity and worked hands-on with language models as game systems rather than as a content generator.

I am now co-founder of Second River Games, an independent studio in Cambridge making simulation and management games, starting with Village of Whispers, where player language shapes character behaviour, belief, and emergent storytelling. I am interested in practical, grounded uses of AI that create new forms of play rather than simply adding generative content on top.

## Elsewhere

- Studio: [Second River Games](https://second-river-games.com)
- LinkedIn: [linkedin.com/in/bulut](https://www.linkedin.com/in/bulut/)
- GitHub: [github.com/bulutk](https://github.com/bulutk)
- X: [@bulutk](https://twitter.com/bulutk)
- CV: [Bulut_Karakaya_CV.pdf](https://www.bulutk.com/assets/files/Bulut_Karakaya_CV.pdf)
- Game Log: [what I have been playing](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1GCteS1l2jNzDjABtK53jJGgxvN41lDYFcYWvmGVKa5g/edit#gid=0)

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Other pages: [Game Projects](https://www.bulutk.com/Projects.html) ([markdown](https://www.bulutk.com/projects.md))

Copyright 2026 Bulut Karakaya.