Dreamhaven, a brand new, California-based video game company, is now ready to operate. Michael Morhaime, the former longtime CEO of Blizzard Entertainment, said that two studios will support the company.
Morhaime will not be alone in Dreamhaven. Several former Blizzard veterans have announced to join their former CEO. They lead the company's studios, Secret Door & Moonshot Games. Chris Sigaty, Alan Dabiri, and Eric Odds lead Secret Door. Jason Chayes, Dustin Browder, and Ben Thompson take on Moonshot.
"I've always believed in the power of games to bring people together regardless of backgrounds or boundaries. With Dreamhaven, we look forward to creating and sharing new experiences with players everywhere," said the president.
Irvine, California, is the home of the two studios.
Why did Morhaime say farewell to Blizzard?
Before launching Dreamhaven, Mike Morhaime is no stranger in the gaming community. Along with two other friends, the UCLA graduate launched Blizzard in 1991. He served as its president.
Since then, Blizzard emerged as one of the high profile companies in the industry. The World of Warcraft and Overwatch franchises and several titles are among the company's biggest hits.
After 27 years of reign, Morhaime and his wife Amy (head of operations) left Blizzard in 2018. The decision came as a shock because Blizzard was at the height of its milestone, especially after Hearthstone reached over 100 million players in that year.
"We didn't have anything planned," he VentureBeat. He also emphasized the importance of sustained creativity and innovation within the Dreamhaven team.
"We're going to unplug and take a bunch of time off to travel. We actually went to the HomeStory Cup in Germany for their StarCraft II tournament. We took our daughter."
The future of Dreamhaven & Blizzard
Their reasons for departing Blizzard are still somewhat unclear. That's what they intend it to be. However, from what it seems, the future of Dreamhaven is in safe hands.
The company hasn't yet announced any upcoming title. Morhaime revealed that the company is now focusing on developing its core values. They will operate under Moonwell Studios LLC.
Some openings are also available on their website. Dreamhaven is looking for gameplay engineers, server engineers, 3D generalists, concept artists, and technology director. Everyone is free to submit their resume on Dreamhaven's website.
On the other hand, Blizzard is facing a somewhat uncertain fate.
Michael Chu left the company in March 2020. During his time at Blizzard, Chu was the lead writer behind the company's hits like Overwatch and Diablo.
"Overwatch has been a life-changing experience. I have always felt that games and the stories they tell have the unique ability to bring people closer together," said Chu in a heartwarming personal note.
Ironically, Chu left during the development of the upcoming Overwatch 2. His shocking departure left the franchise's future in doubt.
They also recently announced the upcoming BlizzConline, which will premiere in February 2021. The virtual event is seeking an online alternative amidst the worldwide pandemic crisis.
Are you excited for Dreamhaven?
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