Daniel Kennett Email & Phone Number

Redmond, Wa, Us

Redmond, Washington, Us

My focus is on mid-to-long term incubation, new product and feature development involving AI and ML

Redmond, Washington, Us

Notable titles/projects: Fortnite, Minecraft Dungeons, Touch Adaptation Kit, Steam Deck support, Clarity Boost - Product Architect for Xbox Cloud Gaming & Xbox Advertising. - Manage and lead Cloud Gaming Developer Experience, Incubation and R&D teams (9 engineers). - Engage with developers and publishers to create new cloud-aware API's, ideating on cloud native gaming. - Partnered directly with Fortnite team to bring Fortnite to Xbox Cloud Gaming with full native touch controls and mobile UI/UX realizing a 2x increase in Xcloud MAU. - Created and innovated cloud based distributed game engine architecture for efficient resource usage and large-scale game experiences. - Conceived, led and delivered Xbox Cloud Gaming on Steam Deck and Clarity Boost video enhancement in Edge Browser (which resulted in significant increase of Edge usage on Linux). - Wrote and presented strategy documents on game streaming, AI/ML in gaming, Proton/Linux, and the future of Windows gaming to Microsoft senior leadership, Office of the CTO, etc. as part of company-wide strategy and future planning initiatives. - Acting advisor to the Gaming AI General Manager, in addition to advising on internal efforts on Hybrid Computing, Microsoft/US Space Force project, ARM64 gaming and more. - Drove early investigations into Xbox cloud server re-use around leveraging UE4 distributed build framework to demonstrate potential for off-cycle server re-use with gaming and non-gaming workloads. - Led prototype and proof-of-concept demos and technology for advertising on Xbox and Game Streaming and custom HW development for click-to-photon latency detection device for touch, mouse/keyboard and controller. - Proactively researched, wrote and presented: “Bias, Inclusion and Diversity in Generative AI Art” to Xbox ERG’s.

Redmond, Washington, Us

Xbox Advanced Technology GroupNotable titles/projects: SDR2HDR (AutoHDR), Project Jumpstart, Real-time DNN based Super-resolution - Provided technical management and leadership for the XBOX Advanced Technology Group, overseeing teams in GPU, CPU, IO/Systems, Engines and Middleware, and Technical Art (12+ engineers). - Collaborated with DirectX, XBOX HW, and XBOX OS teams to drive new features, address developer needs, and ensure high-quality HW and SDK releases. - Led "Project Jumpstart", a successful effort to quickly port games and game engines/middleware to the Xbox Series S|X platform, resulting in speedy transition to the new generation of consoles. - Worked closely with Microsoft Research and related teams to bring new technologies and concepts to shipped features, ensuring cutting-edge innovation and a competitive edge for Xbox. - Created and led ATG incubation efforts, resulting in multiple high-profile machine learning incubation projects, with demos presented to Satya Nadella, Kevin Scott (CTO), and Harry Shum (EVP, Microsoft Research).

Redmond, Washington, Us

Halo Franchise - Tech Foundation Lead & Halo 5: Forge (PC) tech directorNotable Titles: Halo 5: Guardians, Halo 5: Forge Edition - Led and managed the Tech Foundation Team for the Halo Franchise (35+ engineers), overseeing core engine architecture, game editor and tools, art and animation pipeline and tools, audio and networking systems, and farm/infrastructure. - Developed multi-year technology roadmaps and identified key areas for technology investment or licensing to drive innovation and success. - Led successful port of Halo 5 console to UWP/PC, including upgrading from DX11 to DX12. - Collaborated with art and design teams to drive improvements in content creation and iteration, resulting in better quality content and increased efficiency by over 2x. - Led by example fostering a positive and engaging work environment while ensuring projects were delivered on time and within budget.

Redmond, Washington, Us

Notable titles: Xbox Fitness, Project Spark, Kinect Playfit, Nike+ Kinect Training - Led technical development for Xbox Fitness, Kinect Playfit, and Nike+ Kinect Training (8-10 engineers). - Responsible for strategic technology planning and tactical direction for all business unit projects. - Created groundbreaking heartrate-from-video and muscle tracking technologies showcased during Xbox One launch (leading to over 12 patents related to computer vision, heartrate and body tracking in 3D). - Led port of Project Spark PC to Xbox One for E3 2013 reveal, Kinect capture feature work for Project Spark, and port of Project Spark Xbox One to Xbox 360. - Collaborated with senior management on new IP prototyping and pitch development. - Managed R&D efforts around computer vision, advanced tracking techniques on Kinect, cloud-based AI systems, and initial project pitches and prototypes for Nike and Xbox Fitness.

Redmond, Washington, Us

Leading development on several unannounced projects. :-)Two have been announced: - Nike+ Kinect Training - Kinect Playfit

Redwood City, Ca, Us

- Responsible for strategic technology planning and tactical direction for all business unit projects. - Collaborated with senior management on new IP prototyping, pitch development, and identifying emerging technologies. - Contributed to over $32MM in studio tax credits and successfully defended claims during government audit. - Led technical process and predictability improvements for NHL09/10. - Managed and directed R&D team on multiple projects, including 3D camera prototype and project pitch. - Collaborated on hardware peripheral development, leading first-party approval efforts and assessing manufacturer capabilities. - Managed Technical Director team and realigned studio-wide rendering initiative (8+ TD’s and engineers). - Drove multi-year technology roadmap through partnership with key business and production stakeholders. - Primary technical contact with Microsoft/Sony/Nintendo for issue resolution and technical/certification waivers.Notable titles: - EA Sports Active (Wii) - EA Sports Grand Slam Tennis (360, PS3, Wii) - NHL09/10 (360, PS3) - NHL 3v3 Arcade (360, PS3)

Redwood City, Ca, Us

- Led technical direction for 12 successful projects, championing new technologies and improving workflows to enhance performance and quality. - Pioneered an industry-first achievement of a 32-player online FPS on PSP and Wii without sacrificing quality or performance. - Created and facilitated a multi-disciplinary 'Experts Review' panel, improving visuals and performance across multiple SKU's. - Organized EA World-wide Technical Conference world-wide EA Wii technical conference - Conceived and delivered lectures on effective tech brief authoring, rendering effects, and optimization. - Guided departmental transition to Wii platform and directed the creation and rollout of Wii central technology packages. - Directly managed the Central Technology Rendering and Build/CM groups (8+ engineers), improving code and project quality, visibility, and predictability. Notable titles: XBOX360/PS3- Grand Slam Tennis [prototype phase]Wii- EA Sports Active [pre-production] Medal of Honor: Heroes 2PSP- Medal of Honor: Heroes 1 + 2 Fight Night NFS: Most Wanted Tiger Woods 2006, 2008 World Cup 2006NDS- FIFA 08, FIFA 07 NFS Carbon, FIFA Street 2 World Cup 2006 GBA- FIFA 07, NFS Carbon, World Cup 2006

Redwood City, Ca, Us

- Led and successfully delivered Tiger Woods Golf PSP launch title. - Played integral role in EA’s PSP launch by defining best practices and leading early porting and development. - Directed and developed Xbox rendering engine (EAGL XBOX) with team of 2 SE’s (used in over 40 SKUs). - Regularly parachuted into projects and studios across North America to resolve rendering and optimization issues. - Acknowledged as studio expert for Xbox and DirectX (versions 5-8). - Maintained low-level Glide, DirectX and software rendering engine used in over 30 PC SKUs.Notable titles/technologies: EAGL Rendering EngineTiger Woods Golf PSP3Rash Rendering Layer007 SeriesNeed for Speed Porsche UnleashedNHL SeriesNBA Live SeriesFIFA SeriesTriple Play/MVP Baseball Series