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Mark Kern
Mark Edward Kern, also known as Grummz, is a former video game executive. He worked for Blizzard Entertainment from 1997 to 2005 and served as co-founder and CEO of Red 5 Studios during the development and promotion of the video game Firefall.
Kern graduated from the University of Rochester and received a Juris Doctor degree from the Boston University School of Law. Kern was involved in online activism against the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA).
Mark Kern attended college at the University of Rochester, earning a Bachelor of Arts in cognitive science in 1992. He earned a Juris Doctor from Boston University School of Law in 1995, where he specialized in intellectual property and was a co-founder of the university's Journal of Science and Technology Law.
Kern joined Blizzard Entertainment in 1997, initially serving as an Associate Producer for Starcraft. His roles expanded to include Producer of StarCraft 64, Producer of Diablo II, and Team Lead for World of Warcraft. Kern departed Blizzard in 2005.[citation needed]
In 2005, Kern co-founded the game development company Red 5 Studios alongside three other former Blizzard employees. He played a significant role in the development of the game Firefall and became CEO of the company in 2008.
Kern faced allegations of overspending on promotional campaigns for Firefall. Notably, he devised a marketing strategy involving a Firefall-themed e-sports bus intended as both a mobile promotional tool and a server for LAN competitions during the game's beta phase. The project, estimated at $3 million, also included the establishment of a dedicated video production team with costly equipment. Red 5 employees described Kern as being prone to extended absences and having an "erratic, impulsive, and very disruptive" leadership style.
In 2013, Kern was removed from his position as CEO of Red 5 Studios by the board of directors. He referred to his time at the company as his own "Kobayashi Maru".
Kern founded the studio MEK Entertainment in 2014. The company raised $1 million in seed funding for an Oculus Rift virtual reality MMO.
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Mark Kern
Mark Edward Kern, also known as Grummz, is a former video game executive. He worked for Blizzard Entertainment from 1997 to 2005 and served as co-founder and CEO of Red 5 Studios during the development and promotion of the video game Firefall.
Kern graduated from the University of Rochester and received a Juris Doctor degree from the Boston University School of Law. Kern was involved in online activism against the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA).
Mark Kern attended college at the University of Rochester, earning a Bachelor of Arts in cognitive science in 1992. He earned a Juris Doctor from Boston University School of Law in 1995, where he specialized in intellectual property and was a co-founder of the university's Journal of Science and Technology Law.
Kern joined Blizzard Entertainment in 1997, initially serving as an Associate Producer for Starcraft. His roles expanded to include Producer of StarCraft 64, Producer of Diablo II, and Team Lead for World of Warcraft. Kern departed Blizzard in 2005.[citation needed]
In 2005, Kern co-founded the game development company Red 5 Studios alongside three other former Blizzard employees. He played a significant role in the development of the game Firefall and became CEO of the company in 2008.
Kern faced allegations of overspending on promotional campaigns for Firefall. Notably, he devised a marketing strategy involving a Firefall-themed e-sports bus intended as both a mobile promotional tool and a server for LAN competitions during the game's beta phase. The project, estimated at $3 million, also included the establishment of a dedicated video production team with costly equipment. Red 5 employees described Kern as being prone to extended absences and having an "erratic, impulsive, and very disruptive" leadership style.
In 2013, Kern was removed from his position as CEO of Red 5 Studios by the board of directors. He referred to his time at the company as his own "Kobayashi Maru".
Kern founded the studio MEK Entertainment in 2014. The company raised $1 million in seed funding for an Oculus Rift virtual reality MMO.