Holonautic
Holonautic is a Swiss Unity-based VR game studio, founded in 2018, that designs physics-driven interactive games for Meta Quest, Apple Vision Pro, Steam and SideQuest, plus the VIRAL VR development course taught with XR Bootcamp.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2018
- HeadquartersHorw, Switzerland
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Holonautic does
Holonautic Ltd. is a Swiss privately held VR game studio founded in August 2018 by EPFL graduates Roger Küng (CEO) and Dennys Kuhnert (CTO), headquartered in St. Niklausen, Switzerland. The company designs and publishes immersive VR games built on the Unity engine with a proprietary hand-physics system and inverse-kinematics (IK) pipeline that enables realistic finger- and body-level interactions. Its portfolio spans eight titles — Hand Physics Lab (flagship, hand-tracking showcase), Surgineer (comedic surgery), Cybrix (racket sports), Boom Boom Hamster Doom (multiplayer arena), Mash Me Up (party games), Holoception (3rd-person physics combat), and the upcoming Rail Estate (rail tycoon strategy) — plus the VIRAL Advanced VR Interactions Master Class, an 8-week remote course co-developed with XR Bootcamp targeting intermediate-to-expert VR developers.
Holonautic monetizes primarily through one-time game sales distributed across Meta Horizon Store (primary), Apple App Store (Vision Pro), Steam, and SideQuest, complemented by the professional-services course revenue from VIRAL. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; titles such as Hand Physics Lab have used a freemium-to-paid model, originally launched free in early access on SideQuest in May 2020 and later commercialized on Meta and Apple storefronts. The customer base is overwhelmingly consumer-VR gamers on Quest 1/2/Pro/3/3s and Apple Vision Pro, with a secondary segment of VR developers reached through the XR Bootcamp partnership.
The company has no disclosed institutional funding, operates with a team of approximately 1–10 engineers, developers and digital artists, and is actively hiring for VR/Unity, 3D and technical-art roles. Strategic recognition includes two Auggie Awards in 2021 (Best Game or Toy; Best Indie Game) for Hand Physics Lab. Distribution relies entirely on third-party VR platform storefronts, making platform economics and curation the primary external lever on revenue and growth.
Holonautic firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Holonautic
- Legal name
- Holonautic Ltd.
- Website
- https://holonautic.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2018
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Holonautic is a Swiss Unity-based VR game studio, founded in 2018, that designs physics-driven interactive games for Meta Quest, Apple Vision Pro, Steam and SideQuest, plus the VIRAL VR development course taught with XR Bootcamp.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Holonautic industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Virtual Reality Games
- NAICS
- Software Publishers (5132)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)
- akta.pro primary industry
- VR/AR Gaming Platforms (BPAMAKAG)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Metaverse & Social Virtual Worlds (BPAMAKAF), Simulation, Scenario & Serious Games Design (EDAGAKAH)
Keywords
Where Holonautic is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Horw
- HQ country
- Switzerland
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Holonautic business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- VR Game Sales: One-time purchase model for VR games sold through platform app stores (Meta Horizon, App Store, Steam, SideQuest). Games like Hand Physics Lab are available for free or as paid titles on these platforms.
- Educational Course (Viral): Remote course for VR developers 'Advanced VR Interactions Master Class' offered through XR Bootcamp, an 8-week program teaching Unity Physics skills with hands-on lectures and mentorship.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Hand Physics Lab - Free/Paid title |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Multiple game titles - individual pricing |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels4 records
Holonautic product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Holonautic develops and publishes VR games and immersive experiences built around proprietary hand-tracking physics technology. Its portfolio spans standalone titles (Hand Physics Lab, Surgineer, Cybrix, Boom Boom Hamster Doom, Mash Me Up, Holoception, Rail Estate) distributed on Meta Quest, Apple Vision Pro, and Steam, plus the VIRAL remote educational course for VR developers.
Product overview
Holonautic is a VR game development studio that crafts innovative games and experiences across multiple platforms since 2018. The product portfolio consists of eight distinct VR games and one educational service. Hand Physics Lab serves as the flagship experimental hand-tracking showcase. Surgineer offers comedic surgery simulation while Cybrix provides futuristic sports action. Boom Boom Hamster Doom delivers multiplayer arena combat, and Mash Me Up provides accessible party games. Holoception explores innovative 3rd-person physics-based combat, and Rail Estate offers strategic tycoon gameplay. The VIRAL course provides professional VR development education. Together, these products demonstrate the company's focus on pushing boundaries of VR interaction and immersion.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Hand Physics Lab An experimental VR game providing full physics-based control of hands and fingers to interact with objects, puzzles, and experiences, supporting both hand tracking and touch controllers on Meta Quest devices and Apple Vision Pro.
- Surgineer
Companies that use Holonautic
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Holonautic technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration5 records
Feature3 records
Holonautic partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- ApplecoreApple Vision Pro partnership for Hand Physics Lab. Game available on App Store for Apple Vision Pro with hand tracking support only.
- Meta (Oculus)coreMeta Quest platform partnership for Hand Physics Lab and other games. Hand Physics Lab is available on Meta Horizon Store for Quest 1, Quest 2, Quest Pro, Quest 3/3s. Game fully supports Meta Quest hand tracking and touch controllers. Primary platform for most Holonautic titles.
- XR BootcampminorCollaboration with XR Bootcamp for the 'Viral' Advanced VR Interactions Master Class course. Holonautic co-developed the 8-week remote course curriculum for intermediate-to-expert VR developers.
- SideQuestcoreSideQuest early access partnership for Hand Physics Lab initial release in May 2020. Platform provided community feedback that shaped product development. SideQuest used as distribution channel for sideloaded Quest content.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Holonautic competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Beat Games: Developer of Beat Saber, the defining VR rhythm game and a flagship Meta Quest title. Comparable as a small VR studio whose single flagship title became a category-defining hit on Meta's platform.
- Fast Travel Games: VR-focused studio behind titles such as Cities VR and Wraith: The Oblivion - Afterlife. Comparable as a niche VR developer with multiple platform releases.
- Ready at Dawn: Developer of Lone Echo, one of the most acclaimed VR titles, now part of Meta. Comparable as a small studio producing premium physics-driven VR experiences on Meta's platform.
- Owlchemy Labs: Creator of Job Simulator and Vacation Simulator, with a portfolio of polished, family-friendly VR experiences across Meta Quest and Steam. Comparable multi-title VR studio with cross-platform distribution.
- Vertigo Games: Publisher and developer of VR titles including Arizona Sunshine. Comparable as a multi-platform VR studio with both first-party development and publishing activities.
- nDreams: UK-based VR-native studio publishing multiple titles across Meta Quest and PSVR2. Comparable as a VR-specialized studio with a portfolio of consumer games.
- Schell Games: Established VR studio behind I Expect You To Die and Among Us VR. Comparable as a multi-title VR developer with presence on Meta Quest and PCVR platforms.
- Stress Level Zero: Independent VR studio best known for Boneworks and Bonelab, which pioneered physics-driven VR gameplay. Closely comparable to Holonautic's hand-physics VR approach and indie-studio scale.
- Boneloaf: Independent studio behind Gang Beasts, focused on social/party multiplayer experiences. Comparable as a small independent studio whose games emphasize social, casual multiplayer fun — analogous to Mash Me Up and Boom Boom Hamster Doom.
- Resolution Games: VR-focused studio shipping multiple titles across Meta Quest, SteamVR, and other platforms (Demeo, Angry Birds VR). Comparable as a multi-platform VR game publisher with a similar portfolio model.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Holonautic social profiles
Digital presenceHolonautic financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Holonautic leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Holonautic funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Holonautic M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Holonautic
What does Holonautic do?
Holonautic develops and publishes VR games and immersive experiences built around proprietary hand-tracking physics technology. Its portfolio spans standalone titles (Hand Physics Lab, Surgineer, Cybrix, Boom Boom Hamster Doom, Mash Me Up, Holoception, Rail Estate) distributed on Meta Quest, Apple Vision Pro, and Steam, plus the VIRAL remote educational course for VR developers.
Is Holonautic a public or private company?
Holonautic is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Holonautic founded?
Holonautic was founded in 2018. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Holonautic based?
Holonautic is headquartered in Horw, Switzerland, in the Europe region.
How does Holonautic make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. VR Game Sales are the primary driver. The others are educational Course (Viral).
Who are Holonautic's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Beat Games, Fast Travel Games, Ready at Dawn, Owlchemy Labs, Vertigo Games, nDreams, Schell Games, Stress Level Zero, Boneloaf and Resolution Games.
Does Holonautic have an API?
No public API is recorded for Holonautic.
What industry is Holonautic in?
Holonautic's product category is Virtual Reality Games. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAMAKAG, VR/AR Gaming Platforms, with a secondary code of BPAMAKAF, Metaverse & Social Virtual Worlds. Its NAICS code is 5132 and its SIC code is 7372.