Former Blizzard CEO Mike Morhaime has founded a new company, where many former Blizzard employees are also employed. In an interview, Morhaime shares his goals with Dreamhaven and apparently speaks to the soul of many employees and gamers.
What kind of studio is this? Dreamhaven is headed by Mike Morhaime, the co-founder and former head of Blizzard. The company consists of 27 employees and has two studios: Moonshot Game and Secret Door.
At the two studios, former Blizzard employees are working, who are likely well-known to many players and fans of the company, such as:
- Jason Chayes, former Executive Producer of Hearthstone
- Dustin Bowder, former Game Director of StarCraft II and Heroes of the Storm
- Chris Sigaty, former Executive Producer for Hearthstone, StarCraft II and Heroes of the Storm
Morhaime left Blizzard permanently in 2019 and is now returning to the gaming industry as his own boss. He is currently financing Dreamhaven himself.
In an interview with VentureBeat, he explains why this is important and what the goals of Dreamhaven are. It becomes clear that many of his former colleagues are now working with him because they admire him and his vision.
“Cultivating Sustainable Creativity and Innovation”
This is what Morhaime says: In the interview, Morhaime addresses the goals of his new company. Apparently, it is important to him that his employees can express themselves freely:
It is important to create an environment that can sustainably cultivate creativity and innovation and unleash the potential of this talented team. We believe that this is something we can achieve.
He is in no hurry to find sponsors or make money. At the moment, he is still financing everything out of his own pocket, and for a specific reason: “The most important thing is to ensure that we maintain control over the company’s decisions.”
What does Dreamhaven stand for? The idea Morhaime has for his company sounds almost a bit redemptive:
We want to create almost a haven for creators who want an environment that is development-friendly, values products, and prioritizes player experience over short-term financial pressure. […] We like the symbolism of the lighthouse as a beacon, and that inspires us.
For we hope that Dreamhaven will be a beacon of hope for others in the industry who share our values and philosophies.
This is a mindset that many fans of World of Warcraft and other Blizzard games have long appreciated from the company, which has apparently been somewhat lost over the years. Even Cortyn from MeinMMO stated back in 2018 that it hurt his soul to report on Blizzard.
In August 2020, there was even a larger wave of reports from Blizzard employees. They are dissatisfied because they are poorly paid. Some fans suspect that the entire development is influenced by Activision on Blizzard. This had already emerged from a gloomy insider report from January 2020:
“They can make games for which they have passion”
This is Morhaime’s method: Morhaime’s idea with Dreamhaven apparently runs counter to Blizzard’s current cost-cutting measures. He pursues what once distinguished Blizzard: the possibility for employees to work on projects and do them well. If something is discarded, then it is what it is.
[The developers] can make games for which they have passion. They have control over their destiny and hopefully feel that they have the best of both worlds: the entrepreneurial spirit and the stability and resources that only larger companies can often provide.
Morhaime earns admiration from his employees for this. They seem to want to join him and his vision directly, rather than just looking for a new studio.
This is how his employees react: Jason Chayes, for instance, has “enormous respect for Mike as a value-driven leader.” Chris Sigaty elaborates on this a bit more:
I was already familiar with Mike’s values. […] Mike showed the way by making tough decisions, to the point where he gave us enough time to shape something great and provide it with the quality it needed.
Currently, there are no announced projects that the team is working on. As it sounds, this will also take a while. Morhaime apparently wants to do it right and well, rather than rushing to release games. For this, he apparently gives his employees exactly the freedom and resources they need, while Blizzard is currently pursuing cost-cutting measures.
