In the rapidly evolving landscape of social VR, some of VRChat’s most iconic virtual worlds extend beyond typical XR experiences to become meeting grounds for real moments: laughter, grief, awe, wonder, joy, and genuine human connection. Drawing millions of visits, many of them boast a footprint that rivals—and often exceeds—that of major AAA VR games.
Moderated by Raindance Immersive Curator, Mária Rakušanová (aka MariRaku), this panel in VRChat brings together four of the platform’s pioneering world builders—Fins, Juice, MetaRick, and NProwler—to decode the ‘blueprint’ of their iconic virtual worlds. From technical mastery to the quiet artistry of environmental storytelling, these award-winning creators will explore how presence and agency come together to define the foundation of social VR—where worlds are not just built, but felt.
Tom Trinh (aka Fins) is a 3D artist with over a decade of experience across 2D and 3D art, specialising in the creation of ambitious virtual worlds that blend narrative and environmental storytelling. As VRChat's 3D Artist, he takes the lead on the end-to-end execution of the platform’s official world content, seasonal showcases, and partner collaborations.
His multidisciplinary expertise bridges the gap between artistic vision and technical execution, covering everything from environment design, modeling, and lighting to optimisation and user experience. His independent XR work under Finsworks Interactive includes some of VRChat’s most popular “blockbuster” worlds with millions of visits, many of which were featured at Raindance Immersive: Project Lost Worlds: Journey To Erios (2026), District Roboto: Complex 7 (2023), Treasure Heist (2022), Magic Heist (2021) and Lost Worlds – Pandora Night (2020). He continues to push the boundaries of his own craft, creating emotionally resonant worlds that leave a lasting impact.
James Truhlar (aka Juice) is a multidisciplinary creator working across web development, immersive media, 3D design, animation, and virtual world-building. His projects blend technical problem-solving with experiential storytelling, exploring how interactive spaces can foster curiosity, atmosphere, and connection.
In VRChat, his worlds have drawn more than three million visits and earned recognition for their inventive design and technical execution, including winning the Best Immersive World award in 2023 for Magnetize. Alongside immersive media, he has experience in photography, motion graphics, graphic design, and front-end development, with a focus on creative technology and emerging tools.
Rick Treweek (aka MetaRick) is a South African creative technologist and entrepreneur specialising in VR, AR and other emerging technologies. With over two decades of experience in the digital space, he has become a leading figure in the XR community. As the co-founder and CTO of Eden, Rick focuses on making XR accessible and practical for businesses, artists, and healthcare applications.
He is also the founder of the Virtual Worlds Company, which focuses on developing immersive virtual world projects. One of his notable works is Uncanny Alley—which explores the boundaries of virtual environments and human interaction within them—for which he won the Spirit of Raindance Award in 2022, alongside a Best Immersive Theatre nomination for the live theatre evolution of the project Uncanny Alley: A New Day in 2025. He is a strong advocate for the metaverse and actively mentors professionals looking to enter the XR space, contributing to the development of virtual worlds.
Millions of people have found refuge in the awe-inspiring, therapeutic sanctuaries in VRChat created by NProwler, a self-taught world builder, rewriting the rules of immersive environments. Fascinated by the untapped potential of the platform, he dove headfirst into Unity in mid-2019, spending over a year in intense experimentation. A personal project to build cozy hangouts for friends rapidly blossomed into a passion for virtual world building and environmental storytelling.
His worlds are celebrated for their breathtaking realism and deeply restorative atmospheres. His groundbreaking work has earned him the Spirit of Raindance Award in both 2023 for Horse Canyon and in 2024 for Shadow Canyon: A Puppeteer’s Tale, alongside a string of Best Immersive World nominations for Lost Valley Lake Retreat and Rocky Mountain Park.
Mária Rakušanová (aka MariRaku) is the Curator and Executive Producer of the Raindance Immersive festival—now in its 11th edition—which takes place in London and, since 2020, across social VR platforms like VRChat. With a keen eye for innovation, Mária empowers independent creators and game developers to push the boundaries of the XR medium while championing pathways to profitability for the industry.
In addition to her decade of experience leading Raindance Immersive, she has held key roles in content acquisitions and partnerships at HTC VIVE, Microsoft, and Samsung. In these positions, she established strategic partnerships with leading XR studios and developers, with her teams directly contributing to the publishing of over 2,000 titles and shaping the funding landscape for XR games, immersive narratives, art experiences, XR for impact projects and enterprise applications. While at HTC VIVE, she also served as the Executive Producer for foundational VR and MR games and experiences.
By curating the work of independent virtual world builders and artists for the Raindance Immersive festival in VRChat in 2020, Mária didn't just discover the emerging talent from the platform—she elevated their craft to rival AAA developers and traditional filmmakers. This visionary move ultimately set the blueprint for other XR festivals to follow.
Join the session live on Zoom on Friday, 19th June or watch the replay. Please see the schedule below for your local time. For sessions that fall too early or too late in your time zone, we highly recommend catching up via our on-demand replays.
EUROPE – FRIDAY, 19 JUNE
6 PM - 7 PM BST (UK)
7 PM - 8 PM CEST
8 PM - 9 PM EET
NORTH AMERICA – FRIDAY, 19 JUNE
1 PM - 2 PM EDT
12 PM - 1 PM CDT
11 AM - 12 PM MDT
10 AM - 11 AM PDT
ASIA & AUSTRALIA – SATURDAY, 20 JUNE
1 AM - 2 AM CST
2 AM - 3 AM JST
2 AM - 3 AM KST
3 AM - 4 AM AEST