Draft:Kenneth Hurley
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Comment: Currently the article is leaning heavily on user-generated sites for biographical information, such as a wiki and a database. Reliable primary and secondary sources need to be present to cover Hurley's career and basic biographical information. ＶＲＸＣＥＳ (talk) 21:46, 2 April 2025 (UTC)
Kenneth Hurley | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 14, 1963 |
| Citizenship | United States |
| Education | BCS, University of Maryland Global Campus (2000) MBA, East Texas A&M University (2015) |
| Occupation(s) | Software engineer, entrepreneur |
| Employer(s) | Electronic Arts (1990–92, 1994–97) Intel (1997–99) Nvidia (1999–2003) Signature Devices (2003–10) Amazon (2013–14) Google (2019–23) |
| Known for | Co-founding Genius Ventures |
| Title | CEO of Genius Ventures |
Kenneth L. Hurley (born 14 December 1963) is an American software engineer and entrepreneur.
Education
[edit]Hurley graduated with a Bachelor of Computer Science from the University of Maryland Global Campus in 2000. He also holds a Master of Business Administration from East Texas A&M University, which he received in 2015.[1]
Career
[edit]Early career (1982–1989)
[edit]Hurley began his professional career in 1982 as a freelance programmer, developing software for Apple II computers. His first venture into game development was an indie game, Harvey, inspired by the 1950 film of the same name. He designed the official waste management system software used by the city of Medford, Oregon. In 1985, he joined Dynamix in Eugene, Oregon. While at Dynamix, Hurley’s disk copying utility, Copy II ST, was acquired by Central Point Software, leading him to work briefly with the company. The following year, he co-founded Monarch Development with Warrick Holfeld. His work with Holfeld in bringing the arcade game Rampage (1986) to PC, Apple II and Amiga caught the attention of Activision, which employed Hurley as a software engineer in 1987. The following year, Hurley began freelancing for various game companies, including Data East.[1]
Electronic Arts, Intel and Nvidia (1990–2003)
[edit]In 1990, Hurley joined Electronic Arts as a programmer, contributing to titles such as The Immortal (1990) and Chuck Yeager's Air Combat (1991).[2] In 1992, Hurley co-founded Futurescape Productions, a San Mateo-based development studio that collaborated with Sega on various projects, including Nuclear Rush, one of the four original games intended for the Sega VR headset.[3] The studio closed in 1994.
Following Futurescape’s closure, Hurley returned to Electronic Arts, where he worked as the lead programmer for PGA Tour Golf 486 and the PlayStation version of Wing Commander III: Heart of the Tiger.[1] He left the company in 1997 to accept a technical marketing engineer role at Intel, before moving to Nvidia as a senior software engineer in 1999.[4] While at Nvidia, Hurley participated in the development of the original Xbox console and numerous games, including Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2002.[2] In 2025, Inc. drew public attention to Hurley’s work at Nvidia when the magazine ran a story on Jensen Huang. Reportedly, Huang encountered Hurley whilst they stood at adjacent urinals in a company bathroom and started asking him about his work. Initially caught off guard, Hurley quickly listed twenty projects he was working on, earning a satisfied response from Huang.[5]
Signature Devices and Graffiti Entertainment (2003–2016)
[edit]Hurley left Nvidia in 2003 to commence as both chief executive officer and chief technical officer of Signature Devices, a position he held until 2010.[6] Under his leadership, Signature Devices and its subsidiary Graffiti Entertainment, where Hurley served as chairman of the board from 2006 to 2012, contributed to the creation of several titles, including developing the original Far Cry (2004) alongside Crytek for Ubisoft.[7] In 2007, Graffiti Entertainment was granted North American publishing rights for both the Wii and Nintendo DS platforms by Nintendo.[8] In 2009, the company published Black Sigil: Blade of the Exiled for the Nintendo DS, distributed Horrible Histories: Ruthless Romans across North America, and finalised its acquisition of 7th Level Entertainment Group, expanding its business into music, events, film and talent management.[9]
After finishing as chair of Graffiti’s board, Hurley worked for a year at Mahatat, formerly Telly, as a video engineer. In 2013, he moved to Amazon as a senior software development manager.[10]
Later career and Genius Ventures (2016–present)
[edit]Leaving Amazon in 2014, Hurley founded and led Stellar Giant, a technology consultancy. The firm’s clients included Eddie Bauer, Meta and J.D. Power.[11] In 2019, Hurley moved to Google, where he worked as a program manager until 2023.[2]
In 2016, while at Stellar Giant, Hurley also co-founded Genius Ventures, a technology-focused investment and consulting company specializing in software development, artificial intelligence and decentralized computing.[12] The company’s flagship subsidiary, GNUS.ai, launched in 2021, is developing a global artificial intelligence compute network powered by idle graphics processing units in devices operating Android, Microsoft Windows, iOS, macOS and Linux systems. The GNUS.ai token, which acts as the network’s in-house cryptocurrency, currently trades on the Ethereum and Polygon blockchains as $GNUS.[13]
Hurley appears as an entrepreneur contestant in the upcoming reality TV show, CryptoKnights, representing GNUS.ai.[14][15]
Selected Games
[edit]| Year | Game | Credited as |
|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Sword of Kadash | Programmer |
| 1988 | Rampage | |
| 1991 | The Immortal | |
| Chuck Yeager's Air Combat | ||
| 1994 | The King of Fighters '94 | |
| PGA Tour Golf 486 | Software engineer, lead programmer | |
| 1996 | Wing Commander III: Heart of the Tiger | Lead programmer |
| 1997 | Wing Commander IV: The Price of Freedom (PlayStation) | Special thanks |
| 1999 | Jeff Gordon XS Racing | Programmer |
| 2001 | Magic & Mayhem: The Art of Magic | Special thanks |
| 2002 | Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2002 | Engineer |
| 2004 | Far Cry | Consultant |
| 2008 | Mazes of Fate (Nintendo DS) | Executive producer |
| Empire Deluxe | Update of the 1977 game. Developed and published by Graffiti Entertainment. | |
| 2009 | Black Sigil: Blade of the Exiled | Executive producer |
| Air Conflicts: Aces of World War II | ||
| C.O.R.E. | ||
| 2011 | Reader Rabbit Preschool: Sparkle Star Rescue (Wii) | Senior management, technical lead |
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Kenneth Hurley". Sega Retro. Retrieved 2025-04-02.
- ^ a b c "Kenneth L. Hurley". MobyGames. Retrieved 2025-04-02.
- ^ "Sega VR Revived: Emulating an Unreleased Genesis Accessory". Video Game History Foundation. Retrieved 2025-04-02.
- ^ Engel, Wolfgang (2005). Shader X4 Advanced Rendering Techniques. Charles River Media.
- ^ Haden, Jeff (2025-01-20). "One Leadership Trait You Don't Want to Learn From Nvidia's Jensen Huang". Inc. Retrieved 2025-04-02.
- ^ "Signature Devices Launches Graffiti Entertainment, Game Development and Publishing Subsidiary". GamesIndustry.biz. 2006-03-27. Retrieved 2025-04-02.
- ^ "Graffiti Entertainment". Retrieved 2025-04-02.
- ^ Dobson, Jason (2007-04-09). "Graffiti Entertainment Granted Wii, DS Publisher Status". Game Developer.
- ^ "Graffiti Entertainment, Inc. Finalizes Acquisition 7th Level Entertainment Group, LLC". GlobeNewswire. 2009-11-12. Retrieved 2025-04-02.
- ^ "Genius Ventures, Inc". F6S. Retrieved 2025-04-02.
- ^ "Kenneth Hurley". The Org. Retrieved 2025-04-02.
- ^ "Genius Ventures". Retrieved 2025-04-02.
- ^ "GNUS.ai". Retrieved 2025-04-02.
- ^ "Official Trailer". CryptoKnights. Retrieved 2025-04-03.
- ^ Woriji, Lawrence (2024-04-11). "Ritestream Begins Crowdfunding for CryptoKnights Investment Reality Show". Altcoin Buzz. Retrieved 2025-04-03.