Meet the team steering Rivenstone Games
We build merge games with muddy boots, bright ideas, and a proper fascination for river life. Curious who’s behind the worlds, the art, and the weirdly satisfying puzzle loops?
Meet the Crew
Five people, one shared obsession. Who shapes the river worlds you keep coming back to?
Founder & Creative Lead
Alex Rivers
Marine biologist turned game designer, Alex spends half the day studying freshwater ecosystems and the other half turning them into playful mechanics. Why rivers? Because they’re alive, layered, and never quite the same twice.
He leads the tone, the lore, and the little environmental details that make our games feel hand-tended rather than mass-produced.
Lead Artist
Emily Stone
Emily paints with watercolours first and pixels second, which is why our riverbanks look gentle, textured, and a bit magical. Ever wondered why the reflections feel so calm at dusk?
She builds the mood boards, the hand-painted backgrounds, and the seasonal colour shifts that give each location its own pulse.
Lead Developer
Jordan Fisher
Jordan built our RiverMerge engine and keeps the pacing tight when the board gets crowded. He loves the hard part. Clean code, smooth animations, no fuss.
Community Manager
Sam Brook
Sam’s the voice behind our Discord, the organiser of stream nights, and the one who reads every player message with genuine care. Got feedback? He’ll actually listen.
Live Ops Producer
Naomi Holt
Naomi keeps events moving, rewards fair, and releases on schedule. She’s the calm in the current. Without her, who’d keep the whole thing from drifting?
Our Journey Downriver
A few stops along the way. Not a straight line, of course.
2020
Prototype ‘Pebble Merge’ wins an indie game jam
A tiny prototype, a surprising reaction, and a queue of players asking for “just one more level”. That’s when we realised there was something special in the current.
2021
The studio is founded in Sandwell
Our first office at 10 Rounds Green Road was equal parts desk space and dream space. Small team, big plans. Why wait for a perfect moment?
2023
‘Riverstone Merge’ launches on iOS and Android
The first month brought 100,000 downloads, which still feels unreal. Players latched onto the rhythm, the fishing loops, and the riverbank stories.
2024
More than 1 million players worldwide
We crossed a milestone and kept building. Now we’re deep into Fisher's Tale, which asks a simple question: what happens when merge mechanics grow up a little?
Our River Philosophy
Three values, one direction. Simple on paper, demanding in practice.
Sustainability
We partner with river conservation groups and donate a portion of in-app purchases. If our games celebrate waterways, shouldn’t they help protect them?
Community
Discord feedback sessions, livestream Q&As, and a friendly tone are part of the routine. We want players to feel seen, not processed.
Innovation
We keep pushing merge mechanics with seasonal systems, deeper progression, and RPG layers that don’t get in the way. Should a good idea feel safe? Probably not.
Want to know what drives us?
We’re a small indie studio, but we think in long arcs. A careful puzzle. A softer river light. A community message that changes a feature for the better. That’s the work we care about.
If you’ve played our games, shared feedback, or just found a quiet moment in one of our river worlds, thank you. Seriously. Why else make games if not for that connection?