Guide Startups

Vinci Games

Summer 2022 · Active

Creating genre-defining multiplayer VR games.

Location: Berkeley, CA, US

Founded: 2021

Team size: 7

About

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.

Founders

  • Nathaniel VenturaFounder

    Nathan Ventura is the co-founder and CEO of Vinci Games, which he started with Maciej Szcześnik in 2021. Nathan oversees product, marketing, and business development for the company. He spent his career leading world-class developer programs at Facebook, Google, and Unity. Currently he is focused on building the next generation of AAA competitive sports for virtual reality with Blacktop Hoops.

  • Maciej SzcześnikFounder

    Maciej Szcześnik is the co-founder and CTO of Vinci Games. He is responsible for game design and development. He studied physics (BSc) and computer science (MSc) and started his game dev career in 2004. Former lead gameplay designer on The Witcher 1, 2, and 3 at CD Projekt Red and Lead Designer at 11 Bit Studios. Former Vice-Rector and author of Video Game Development course at Warsaw Film School. Maciej started working on VR games and apps in 2015. Won Unity Neon Challenge in 2018.