Turkey’s achievements in the mobile game industry do not stop counting. However, it should not be forgotten that there are Turkish developers who publish games on different platforms. Today, there are many developer studios in Turkey that publish games on PC and console platforms.
Apart from the studios we know closely, there are also individual developers. We have listed some companies that develop games for consoles in Turkey for you. Happy reading!
Simula Games
Founded in 2014 by a married couple, Mehmet and Sümeyye Kahraman, Simula Games started its adventure in 2014. This journey, which started as a hobby during university years, was accepted to Hacettepe Teknokent in 2018 with the team’s growth. Today, Simula Games, which continues its life with a team of 5 people, has a game called Truck & Logistics Simulator.
Trucks & Logistics Simulator, as the name suggests, is a vehicle simulation game. The game was awarded the Crystal Pixel Special Jury Award in 2020. The game was first published on Nintendo Switch and computer, but it is stated on their website that it will be developed for other consoles as well.
Proud Dinosaurs
The company, which was established in Istanbul as an IT company in 2016 under Orsam Information Technologies and Consulting, still has the name Orsam BT. Proud Dinosaurs states that the name choice made for more suitable for the game industry. The company, which appeared on PC in 2019 with the puzzle-platformer game called Macrotis: A Mother’s Journey, started to publish the game on console platforms in 2020.
TeamTrap
TeamTrap is the developer of Swaps and Traps, which was released for PC and Nintendo Switch in 2018. The team includes many professional names from the industry. Swaps and Traps is ranked 1227 out of 60,676 games in the Indie DB database.
Swaps and Traps is a compelling platform game with three worlds and over 100 chapters. We can say that the steam reviews of the game, which are also assertive about sound and music design, are very positive. In addition to winning the Crystal Pixel Innovation award in 2018, the game was nominated for three categories: Best PC Game, Best Game Design, and Auditory Art.
Sobee (Vivid Image, Dinç Interactive)
Founded by Mevlüt Dinç, the name behind many productions such as Istanbul Kiyamet Vakti, I Can Football and Supercan, Sobee has appeared with various names in the past as Vivid Image and Dinç Interactive. The company, which served from 2000 to 2018, was closed with the decision taken by Türk Telekom management. Although the company has been working on the PC platform in its last years, it has developed games for Nintendo consoles in 2002 and before. The most well-known among these games was Dual Blades, which was released in 2002 and written by Galip Kartaloğlu. Here are the games developed for consoles under the name of Vivid Image:
- Dual Blades – Nintendo Game Boy Advance, 2002
- Street Racer – Super NES, 1994
Mevlüt Dinç is currently working as a Co-Founder and Executive Producer at Inventuna Games, and he has a book called Life Is A Game. Dinç, quoting his own life story and achievements in the book. He donated the entire proceeds of the book to the Darüşşafaka Society. On behalf of the industry, we present our respects to Mevlüt Dinç for his contribution to the education of children and young people.
Stormling Studios (Zoetrope Interactive)
Founded in Istanbul by Galip Kartaloğlu, Onur Şamlı, and Oral Şamlı and publishing games for both PC and consoles, Stormling Studios was operated under the name Zoetrope Interactive in the past. Working on Lovecraftian games, the team has released games of many genres in the past.
Apart from the Darkness Within series published for the PC platform, there are games such as Conarium and Transient. The company’s latest game, Transient, blends Cyberpunk and Lovecraft and is the company’s only game published on the console platform. The game is playable on many platforms, including PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and PC.
Kayabros
Kayabros, founded by Talha and Tarık Kaya, develops many games for PC, Mobile, and Console platforms. The team, which started its publishing life with the game BloodSpace, released for Windows, Mac, and Linux systems in 2014, has four more games: Into the Box, Golfiny, Soul Searching, and Pill Baby.
Soul Searching, the only game developed for the console platform, is a survival game with ambitious storytelling. Leaving your homeland with a boat and two oars, the game features an artistic open world where you will encounter spells and dragons.
Kabuk Games
Shell Games, a part of Metutech-Atom and founded in 2017, has released four games since then. The most well-known among them, and the game that made the company enter the list, was Alchemist’s Castle, which was published in 2017. Published on many platforms, including Xbox, PS4, Nintendo Switch, and PC, the game is in the old-school Metroidvania style and platform type. The company also has a mobile game called Particle in a Box with cyberpunk elements.
Oldmoustache Gameworks
Oldmoustache Gameworks, the name behind the thriller and puzzle production No70: Eye of Basir, which was released in June 2017, does not continue its development today. Developed with Unreal Engine, No70: Eye of Basir managed to become a domestic production that stood out on many channels.
The horror elements it contains, and the game’s general atmosphere received good reviews from users at the time of publication. However, the company announced a new game of a similar type named The Bell in 2018. There is no information about the fate of this game today.
Tolga Ay
Tolga Ay, the only individual developer on our list, made a significant impact with Remnants of Naezith, which he launched in 2017. Remnants of Naezith, which has hook mechanics and is fast-paced production, appeared on many websites and managed to win the third prize in QUO VADIS 2017.
Today, 27 years old Tolga Ay is working at a foreign blockchain/cryptocurrency firm. Tolga Ay, who remained silent for a long time, announced in an interview with us that he would announce a new game in the future. For more detailed information about Remnants of Naezith, click here.
TaleWorls Entertainment
TaleWorls, which probably has the largest audience on the list, is known for its Mount and Blade series. Many versions and additional packages have been published, only one of which has been released on consoles.
Although it is not the first game in the series, Mount and Blade: Warband, which attracted the most attention, was published for PS4 and Xbox as well as PC. Console versions of the recently released Mount and Blade: Bannerlord is expected to be released soon.
Nowhere Studios
Nowhere Studios, founded by Burak Tezateşer in Istanbul, is known for his two productions, Circadian City and Monochroma. Monochroma, which reached large masses with a successful Kickstarter campaign, was highly appreciated by users at the time it was released (in our opinion, it is one of the timeless productions).
Circadian City, released in 2020, is still in early access today to provide a detailed game experience. In addition, the comments on the game seem pretty positive. Both games developed by the company are accessible on Nintendo Switch consoles, except for PC.
Last words
It is a proud situation to see PC and Console games coming out of our country in today’s years when the industry is on the rise with mobile games. Of course, creating a AAA game with a sudden leap and low budget is impossible. However, as we have seen examples, games that are strong in terms of art and storytelling can somehow achieve success.
In a scenario where you cannot produce games with big budgets and superior graphics, it is possible to make a game with strong mechanics and an immersive story under the conditions of our country. There is no reason why independent productions created by small but strong teams should not evolve into AAA games in the future. We hope that in the future, we will see great games with big budgets with the industry’s growth and the excellent evaluation of the investments received.
