Ready Player Me
 | |
| Formerly | Wolfprint 3D (2014–2018) Wolf3D (2018–2021) |
|---|---|
| Type | Subsidiary |
| Industry | Video games Computer graphics SaaS |
| Founded | 2014 in Tallinn, Estonia |
| Founders | Timmu Tõke Kaspar Tiri Rainer Selvet Haver Järveoja |
| Defunct | 2025 |
| Fate | Acquired by Netflix in 2025 |
| Successor | Netflix |
| Headquarters | Tallinn, Estonia |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Timmu Tõke (CEO) |
| Parent | Netflix |
| Website | readyplayer |
Ready Player Me (formerly Wolf3D, originally Wolfprint 3D) was an Estonian technology company that provided services to create cross-platform 3D avatars for games.[1] It was based in Tallinn, Estonia before its acquisition by Netflix in 2025.
History
[edit]Wolfprint 3D was founded in 2014 by Timmu Tõke, Kaspar Tiri, Rainer Selvet, and Haver Järveoja.[2] Three of the founders, Tõke, Tiri, and Järveoja, graduated from the Estonian Business School, while Selvet studied computer engineering at TalTech.[3] The company initially aimed to create realistic avatars for virtual reality (VR).[4]
In early 2016, Wolfprint 3D introduced the Luna scanner, a 3D scanning booth designed to capture a human’s face in approximately 90 seconds.[5][6][7] These scanning booths were installed in public locations such as malls and airports.[5] In December 2016, Wolfprint 3D raised money through a side-by-side equity crowdfunding on SeedInvest to support the deployment of its 3D scanning pods.[8][9] By December 2016, Wolfprint 3D had built four Luna 3D scanning booths and scanned over 5,000 individuals.[5]
In late 2018, Wolfprint 3D shifted its approach from physical scanners to software-based avatar creation.[10] Under the shortened name Wolf3D, the company began developing technology to generate 3D avatars from a single 2D photograph, resulting in increased scalability and reported revenue growth.[10]
In mid-2020, Wolf3D introduced a new avatar platform, Ready Player Me, enabling developers with plug-and-play tools to integrate its avatar system into a virtual world or game.[11] Early integrations included social VR applications such as VRChat.[3] After shifting focus to AI-generated avatars, Wolf3D secured a $1.3 million seed round in August 2020, led by Trind Ventures, with participation from European seed investors including Presto, Koha, Spring Capital, and Contriber.[11]
Ready Player Me was officially launched in early 2021. As the platform gained popularity, the company rebranded itself to Ready Player Me to align with its primary product.[12] In December 2021, following growth in the Ready Player Me platform, the company announced a Series A funding round of $13 million.[13] The round was led by Taavet+Sten, a venture fund co-founded by Taavet Hinrikus (Wise) and Sten Tamkivi (Teleport), with participation from investors including Tom Preston-Werner (GitHub co-founder), Samsung Next, NordicNinja VC, and Konvoy Ventures.[13]
In August 2022, Ready Player Me completed a Series B funding round totaling $56 million, led by venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), through its gaming-focused funds.[14] Additional investors included David Baszucki (Roblox co-founder), Justin Kan (Twitch co-founder), and venture firms Plural and NordicNinja, among others.[14]
In December 2024, Ready Player Me launched a gaming platform, PlayerZero, where players can create, customize, and carry their avatars across multiple games.[15]
In December 2025, Ready Player Me was acquired by Netflix for an undisclosed amount. They have shut down their services for public use from Jan 31st, 2026.[16]
Platforms
[edit]Ready Player Me
[edit]Ready Player Me was a web-based avatar creation platform that provided developer tools and infrastructure to power cross-game avatars.[14][2]
PlayerZero
[edit]PlayerZero was a gaming platform where players could create, customize, and carry their avatars across multiple games.[15] It allowed direct ownership of digital appearance items via blockchain technology.[15] Upon launch, PlayerZero released "Collection ZERO" wearables, with tens of thousands minted shortly thereafter.[15]
References
[edit]- ↑ Takahashi, Dean (August 30, 2023). "Ready Player Me launches AI-based Copilot to help developers streamline avatars". VentureBeat.
- 1 2 Takahashi, Dean (July 21, 2021). "Wolf3D launches Ready Player Me cross-game avatars for the metaverse". VentureBeat.
- 1 2 "Metaverse Avatar Platform Ready Player Me, Created by Ebsters, Raises $56M in Series B Round Led by Andreessen Horowitz". EBS.
- ↑ Petch, Michael (December 22, 2016). "Wolfprint 3D raise further $500,000 bringing 3D scanning to life".
- 1 2 3 Biggs, John (December 23, 2016). "Wolfprint 3D raises $500K to bring scanning pods to an airport near you".
- ↑ "Want Your Own Personal Avatar? Step Into This Photo Booth". Fortune.
- ↑ "Startup wants to bring 3D-scanning photo booths to malls around the world". Digital Trends. October 31, 2016.
- ↑ Popper, Nathaniel (January 24, 2017). "Doubts Arise as Investors Flock to Crowdfunded Start-Ups" – via NYTimes.com.
- ↑ Alois, JD (January 11, 2017). "SeedInvest CEO Ryan Feit: Issuers Using Reg CF Will Raise Over $100 Million In 2017". Crowdfund Insider.
- 1 2 "Estonian Startup Awards 2019". January 22, 2020.
- 1 2 "Estonian-born startup Wolf3D raises $1.3 million to bring personal avatars to gaming". Tech.eu. August 6, 2020.
- ↑ Schwartz, Eric Hal (December 30, 2021). "Ready Player Me Raises $13M for Metaverse Virtual Human Creation". Voicebot.ai.
- 1 2 Kaser, Rachel (December 28, 2021). "Ready Player Me, a metaverse avatar platform, raises $13M in funding".
- 1 2 3 Lunden, Ingrid (August 23, 2022). "Ready Player Me raises $56M led by a16z".
- 1 2 3 4 Takahashi, Dean (December 10, 2024). "Ready Player Me's Player Zero sees momentum for Web3 collectible avatars".
- ↑ Chukka, Praveen (2026-01-03). "ReadyPlayer.me is Closed. Now What? Here are some Alternatives". Medium. Retrieved 2026-03-21.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)