Former CEO of a global game maker establishes a new game company, and development of new games is in progress
Blizzard cofounder Mike Morhaime launches new gaming endeavor Dreamhaven | VentureBeat
https://venturebeat.com/2020/09/23/blizzard-cofounder-mike-morhaime-launches-new-gaming-endeavor-dreamhaven/
Mr. Morheim will be the CEO of Dreamhaven, and his wife, Amy Morheim, will be responsible for operations. In establishing Dreamhaven, Mr. and Mrs. Morheim said that they had cut their money to raise funds. 'It was important to control the fate of the company in the early stages,' Morheim said of the reason he funded Dreamhaven himself.
'My wife Amy and I worked for Blizzard, but they both retired in 2018. We have no plans for anything after retirement, and it's time to take a break. I was planning to take a lot of money. I spent time with my daughter participating in the Home Story Cup held in Germany and participating in StarCraft 2 tournaments, 'he recalls his life immediately after retirement.
Immediately after retiring from Blizzard, Mr. Morheim said he wasn't sure if he wanted to continue making games. However, the Moheims are eager to 'make something special together' while meeting and talking with Hearthstone executive producer Jason Chase and people who have retired from Blizzard like Moheim. It seems that they have hit each other.
“In game production, it's important to sustainably foster creativity and innovation, and create an environment that unlocks the potential of a competent team. We felt we could do that, Chase and his colleagues. I felt that it was an opportunity for us to do it now. '
Dreamhaven founded a game studio named Moonshot and Secret Door to create the game. Dreamhaven employs a number of game industry veterans, including former Blizzard engineers, to run the two studios. Different games are being produced in each studio, and it is possible to develop two games at the same time.
At the time of writing the article, Dreamhaven and the two studios have a total of 27 staff members, and it is planned to increase the number in the future. It seems that new game development is already underway at each studio, but it is not clear what kind of game is actually being developed. Moheim says new game development is underway with a focus on 'quality' and 'giving enough time to creative staff,' as Moheim did at Blizzard. ..
'We are trying to create a'haven'for creators who want an environment that is easier to develop and that values the product and player experience, rather than short-term financial pressure. We believe that the game has the power to unite and escape the anxieties of reality. In that sense, the game is'haven'. We like the image of the lighthouse. , The lighthouse inspires us, because we hope Dreamhaven will be the light of hope for those who sympathize with our values and philosophies. Approaching business and game production There is a great way to do it, which is sustainable and has a lot of fun, and can have positive results, 'Moheim said. The 'lighthouse image' mentioned by Mr. Morheim is also used in the brand logo.
In addition to Chase, who hit it off with Morheim, former Blizzard employees Dustin Browder and Ben Thompson are the leaders at Dreamhaven's studio, Moonshot. All three have more than 10 years of game development experience at Blizzard, and Chase is a veteran who has worked at Electronic Arts and Disney in addition to working at Blizzard for 11 years. Chase commented on how he left Blizzard: 'I was working on a project in Blizzard as a team, but it ended up stuck. Sometimes. That's what triggered it, and what's next? In order to think about what I want to do, I decided to take a step back and take a break for a while. '
Meanwhile, Mr. Chase, who was interested in starting a new company, had the opportunity to talk with Mr. Morheim and agreed to launch Dreamhaven. 'I have a lot of respect for value-oriented leader Morheim. Working with him to come up with the idea of making a game was the best way for me,' Chase said. I have.
Former Blizzard employees Chris Sigati, Alan Daviri and Eric Dodds are also leaders at another game studio, Secret Door. Among them, Mr. Shigati has been with Blizzard for about 24 years, and he has a close cooperation with Mr. Chase in games such as StarCraft 2.
'I know his values very well, and when I was working on a project with him, should I move on to get some results, or go back,' Shigati said of Morheim. But there were times when it wasn't clear if we should finish something great. Mr. Morheim made a tough decision, giving us enough time to finish something great and getting the quality needed for the game. He guided me until I got there. '
Dreamhaven wants to 'maintain a close relationship with the player' following Blizzard. VentureBeat, a technology-related information site, speculates that new games will not be announced soon as Dreamhaven has just begun game development.
Related Posts:
in Game, Posted by darkhorse_log