Vinci Games
6 known investors
Creating genre-defining multiplayer VR games.
Also known as Vinci Games (YC S22)
Investors · 6
Also in the syndicate · 1
Funding
SEC filings, press & company announcements$5.1M disclosed across 1 of 2 rounds · 2023
- $5.1MSeedApr 2023 · 3 sources
Makers Fund (lead), Anorak Ventures, BonAngels, Pioneer Fund, Soma Capital, Y Combinator
Source ↗
Source: company announcements and press reports — follow each round's link for the claim.
Company profile
researched Aug 2026Vinci Games is a virtual reality game studio developing social multiplayer VR titles for headset platforms including Meta Quest, Pico and Steam VR. The company was founded in 2021 by CEO Nathaniel Ventura and CTO Maciej Szcześnik and took part in Y Combinator's Summer 2022 batch. It describes its aim as building arcade sports and social experiences for VR platforms, positioning itself as an "Electronic Arts for VR sports games."
Its first title, Blacktop Hoops, is an arcade streetball basketball game featuring dribbling, shooting and dunking mechanics designed for VR, a campaign mode with 12 streetball legends across courts in Oakland, Los Angeles, New York and Athens, skill-based matchmaking across 9 ranks and 21 divisions, casual 1v1 to 4v4 multiplayer, and an avatar system with over 600 customization items. The game moved from App Lab alpha and beta to a full cross-platform release on Meta Quest, Pico and Steam in May 2024 at $29.99, with plans stated for PlayStation VR2 and Apple Vision Pro. The studio's second title, Ruffnauts, is a free-to-play sandbox space-exploration and creature-collecting game for Meta Quest that combines creature catching, physics-based interactions and Gorilla Tag-style locomotion; it entered alpha early access in 2025.
Founding story
The company was started in 2021 by Nathaniel Ventura and Maciej Szcześnik. Ventura, who leads product, marketing and business development, previously ran developer programs at Oculus/Facebook, Google and Unity. Szcześnik, responsible for game design and development, began his game development career in 2004, was lead gameplay designer on The Witcher 1, 2 and 3 at CD Projekt Red and a lead designer at 11 Bit Studios, taught video game development at Warsaw Film School as Vice-Rector, and began working on VR projects in 2015.
Business model
Product-led consumer games business combining premium title sales (Blacktop Hoops at $29.99), free-to-play distribution with in-app purchases and bundles for Ruffnauts, and downloadable content such as the Rising Legends Pack.
Revenue comes from paid game downloads, downloadable content packs, and in-app purchases and bundles in free-to-play titles.
Traction
Blacktop Hoops reached the #1 rated App Lab title with over 16,000 reviews at a 4.9 rating and more than 1 million players across Steam and Quest prior to full launch, plus a 90% positive Steam rating during beta. Ruffnauts recorded 30,000+ reviews at 4.9 stars in its first month of alpha early access on Meta Quest.
Latest developments
Ruffnauts entered alpha early access on Meta Quest in 2025 and was described by the CEO as a top-rated Quest game; the studio was named among the GamesBeat/Lightspeed 2026 Game Changers in November 2025 and has posted contract-to-hire openings for senior technical art, 3D art and level design roles on social VR projects.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history
Market position
Positions itself as building an all-in-one VR sports franchise comparable to console sports games, arguing that the Quest platform has far fewer apps per user than mobile and lacks high-quality titles in top-retention genres such as competitive shooters, social VR and sports/fitness. Blacktop Hoops was cited as the #1 rated App Lab title and among the highest-rated sports games on Meta Quest.
Focus on arcade-style, socially driven VR sports designed to be easy to pick up with a high competitive skill ceiling, combined with career/campaign structure, ranked matchmaking and extensive avatar customization; the founding team pairs VR platform experience with AAA game design credentials.
Technology
Games are built for standalone and PC VR headsets using game engines and 3D content-creation tooling; Blacktop Hoops uses hundreds of motion-captured animations and adaptive AI opponents that respond to player behavior, alongside VR-specific dribbling, shooting and dunking interaction systems. Ruffnauts uses physics-driven interaction and Gorilla Tag-style locomotion.
Go-to-market
Distribution through VR storefronts — Meta Quest (including App Lab), Pico and Steam — supported by community-driven development and player testing via Discord, social channels, and press announcements around launches and updates.
Consumer VR headset owners, particularly Meta Quest players interested in sports, competitive multiplayer, social VR and creature-collection games.
Geography
Headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area, with Y Combinator listing San Francisco and other listings citing Berkeley, California. The team is globally distributed, with roles posted as remote across the United States and staff reported across the United States, Poland and Denmark.
History
Founded in 2021 by Nathaniel Ventura and Maciej Szcześnik, the studio joined Y Combinator's Summer 2022 batch. It launched Blacktop Hoops on Meta's App Lab, opened a public beta alongside a $5.1M seed round in April 2023, and released the game across Meta Quest, Pico and Steam in May 2024. In 2025 it released a second title, Ruffnauts, into alpha early access on Meta Quest and was named to the GamesBeat/Lightspeed 2026 Game Changers list.
Compiled by commissioned research from 8 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Timeline · 5
launches, deals, and filingsVinci Games was included among 25 gaming/tech startups highlighted by GamesBeat and Lightspeed as 2026 Game Changers, with the recognition displayed on the Nasdaq Tower in Times Square.
Ruffnauts, a free-to-play creature-catching and physics-based VR adventure with Gorilla Tag-style locomotion, launched in alpha early access on Meta Quest.
Blacktop Hoops exited beta and released cross-platform on Meta Quest, Pico and Steam at a price of $29.99.
The VR game studio announced a $5.1 million seed round led by Makers Fund with participation from Y Combinator, Soma Capital, Pioneer Fund, Anorak Ventures, BonAngels and Twitch co-founder Kevin Lin, to fund development of its first title, Blacktop Hoops.
$5.1M source ↗
The beta added the Rising Legends Pack DLC with five new bosses inspired by streetball legends and competitive/casual 1v1, 2v2, 3v3 and 4v4 multiplayer modes; the game was available for free beta access on Quest App Lab and Steam.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
In the news
▸Research sources · 8
primary sources listed
- Work With Vinci Gamesworkwithindies.com · web
8 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Vinci Games do?
- Vinci Games is a YC-backed VR game studio making multiplayer titles including Blacktop Hoops and Ruffnauts.
- Who are Vinci Games's investors?
- Vinci Games's investors include Lobster Capital, Anorak Ventures, Makers Fund, Soma Capital, Y Combinator.
- How much funding has Vinci Games raised?
- Vinci Games has disclosed $5.1M raised across 1 of its 2 known rounds.