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§ Private Profile · Berkeley, CA, USA
Creating genre-defining multiplayer VR games.
Key people at Vinci Games.
Vinci Games was founded in 2021 by Nathaniel Ventura (Founder) and Maciej Szcześnik (Founder).
Vinci Games (YC S22) is building the next generation of social multiplayer VR games.
Our first title, Blacktop Hoops, became one of the highest-rated sports games on Meta Quest with a passionate global community and critical acclaim.
Our second title, Ruffnauts, is already one of the fastest growing F2P releases of 2025 on Meta Quest, with 30K+ reviews at 4.9 stars in its first month of Alpha Early Access. Ruffnauts combines creature catching, chaotic physics, and Gorilla Tag style locomotion into a groundbreaking VR adventure.
The company is led by CEO Nathaniel Ventura (ex-Oculus, Google, Meta) and CTO Maciej Szcześnik, former lead gameplay designer at CD Projekt Red for The Witcher series. Our mission is to create genre-defining VR experiences that bring millions of players together.
Key people at Vinci Games.
Vinci Games is a pioneering game studio focused on developing AAA multiplayer virtual reality (VR) sports games, with a flagship product called *Blacktop Hoops*, a VR basketball simulation. The game offers a rich career mode, competitive multiplayer matches, and extensive avatar customization, serving basketball and VR gaming enthusiasts seeking immersive, social sports experiences. Vinci Games addresses the gap in high-quality, all-in-one VR sports titles by delivering a competitive, arcade-style basketball game that combines career progression, casual play, and ranked matchmaking, attracting over 1 million players and earning a 4.9-star rating from more than 16,000 reviews[2][4].
Founded in 2021 by Nathaniel Ventura and Maciej Szcześnik, Vinci Games is headquartered in Berkeley, California. Ventura brings leadership experience from Oculus, Google, and Unity, while Szcześnik was the lead gameplay designer for *The Witcher* series at CD Projekt Red. The idea emerged from their shared vision to create a genre-defining VR sports experience that blends competitive gameplay with social interaction. Early traction came with *Blacktop Hoops* becoming the #1 rated title on Meta’s App Lab and gaining significant player engagement during its beta launch, supported by a $5.1 million seed round led by Makers Fund[2][4].
Vinci Games rides the growing trend of immersive VR gaming, particularly in sports and social multiplayer genres, which are among the highest retention categories on platforms like Meta Quest. The timing is favorable due to increasing VR hardware adoption and a scarcity of high-quality, genre-defining sports titles in VR. By delivering a polished, socially engaging sports experience, Vinci Games is helping to expand VR’s appeal beyond casual users to competitive gamers, influencing the broader ecosystem by setting new standards for VR sports gameplay and community building[2].
Looking ahead, Vinci Games aims to expand *Blacktop Hoops* with new content, enhanced AI, and deeper social features, potentially becoming the "Electronic Arts for VR sports games." The company is well-positioned to capitalize on the rising demand for competitive and social VR experiences as hardware improves and user bases grow. Trends such as AI-driven gameplay, esports integration, and cross-platform social gaming will likely shape their journey, enhancing their influence in the VR and sports gaming markets[2][4].
Vinci Games is not just creating a game; it is defining a new genre of multiplayer VR sports, poised to become a cornerstone of the virtual sports ecosystem.
Vinci Games was founded in 2021 by Nathaniel Ventura (Founder) and Maciej Szcześnik (Founder).
