Blizzard – Mike Morhaime launches gaming enterprise Dreamhaven, with Moonshot Games and Secret Door, as their two game-development studios.
Video game developer and entrepreneur Mike Morhaime has launched a new video game company named Dreamhaven. The former president of Blizzard Entertainment revealed the release on September 23, 2020.
Very excited to be teaming up with some amazing people to start a new adventure! https://t.co/wyvgx2fP3l
— Mike Morhaime (@mikemorhaime) September 23, 2020
Mike’s journey
Michael “Mike” Morhaime bought a gaming console with his brother and sister in sixth grade, released in 1978. He then discovered that the console was programmable and eventually figured how to write simple games on it. He built these off of a programming code that he read on a gaming newsletter.
However, Morhaime is best known as the co-founder and the former Blizzard Entertainment president. The company was founded in 1991 under Silicon & Synapse by Michael Morhaime, Frank Pearce, and Allan Adham.
The company focused on developing other studios’ games before creating their software in 1993 that included games like Rock n’ Roll Racing and The Lost Vikings.
While it may be true that in early 1994, the company was acquired by distributors Davidson & Associates for $6.75 million ($11.6 million in today’s value), as a result, the company became Chaos Studios.
Nonetheless, the name was changed to Blizzard Entertainment in May 1994.
Shortly after, Blizzard released Warcraft: Orcs & Humans, which had a high-fantasy setting and focused on real-time strategy (RTS).
Afterward, they created several videogames of a different type, such as massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), collectible or trading card game (CCG/TCG), multiple online battle arena (MOBA), multiplayer, first-person, and shooting games. The games include World of Warcraft, Diablo, and the StarCraft series.
Activision Blizzard merged with Vivendi Games in 2008. However, on July 25, 2013, Activision Blizzard announced the purchase of 429million shares from Vivendi. And as a result, Activision became a completely independent company.
Morhaime stepped down as the president CEO of Blizzard Entertainment in October 2018.
The ‘Dreamhaven’ story
As announced by the co-founder and the former president of Blizzard Entertainment, he, along with his wife Amy Morhaime, has founded a new gaming enterprise called Dreamhaven.
While Mike will be the CEO of Dreamhaven, his wife Amy will be the head of operations. As of now, the company has 27 employees across all three entities. However, all of the 27 hired by the new company are alumni from Blizzard Entertainment.
What can we expect from Dreamhaven?
From what we get from the developers’ website, the company will be producing original games for players worldwide. The team believes to be coming together around a common goal: to empower developers by bringing their ideas to life and creating authentic gaming experiences that advance meaningful connections between players.
Moreover, the team believes that the gaming community can be a good force through shared values, purpose, and trust.
The CEO of Dreamhaven, Mike Morhaime, expressed his excitement to work with his team of talents. Furthermore, he added that he has always believed in games’ power in bringing people together regardless of the background.
The goals
The company aims to empower its studios to establish independent identities, voices, and cultures. They want to take their chances and create vibrant worlds that will reflect our values.
The team also aims to provide a safer place for developers, creators, and players to connect in tangible ways. Besides, they likewise desire to make their games shared with anybody on the planet, including children.
The studio approach
Dreamhaven’s first two-game studios are Moonshot Games and Secret Door. The company’s claims state that their teams have the freedom and flexibility to express their individuality through their games in their unique voices.
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