Mike Morhaime Starts New Gaming Company, Dreamhaven

[Mojo03]

A company that will focus on developer egos instead of customer desires. What could go wrong?

It's literally how Nintendo makes all their games. They focus on creating what the team likes and wants to play. They don't even use testers or focus groups. It's literally all about what the team likes.

Seems to have been working pretty well for them for the last 30 years.

[HumbleDuck]

I hope I'm still alive when their first game hits the market.
It probably will be a great game though.

[Mojo03]

Wasn't one of the key-factors of Wildstar "Huge raids, super hard, just like you remember them!" which we've seen Classic wasn't about? I know it had housing and all that, but I remember that being the biggest focus for end-game.

I feel like they over focused on the features being a draw with that game, while the game itself sucked.

I played it for 20 minutes a couple separate times and both times the game felt like crap to play. Choppy, uninspiring, world felt cramped, gameplay felt robotic, art style was too childish.

[Aleksej89]

Blizzard is just another example of how you should never let go of the "reins", especially when control will go to people that are in it just for the money.

Hopefully something nice comes out of Dreamhaven.

[Sangris]

Sounds great, I always had a lot of respect for the man. And since this strongly implies that the reason he left was what everyone assumed from the very start, they'll probably be wary of any potential larger company that will try to buy them out.

I hope they will start off with a spiritual successor to WC3 (and Warcraft in general).

[ONCHEhap]

I thought that way when Bill Roper left Blizzard. He was to me the man who made Diablo 2 so great and his ideas for Hellgate sounded awesome. I thought it would take the gaming community by storm.

But in the words of Elisabeth Shaw "We were wrong, we were all so wrong"

As for being "in it for the money". It takes millions of dollars these days to create any game....and the people who make them ...hundreds of them...over years..need to put food on the table. I am in my job for the passion, but I cannot buy food or pay rent with that. In the end....there has to be money to be made. If you inject a million dollars and only 500k come out at the other end...you are on the streets, you lose your home and your family starves.

The issue is that any extra money that a game makes just goes straight into the executives and shareholders pockets,while if anything goes wrong,the people who actually made the game are the ones who suffer. All these microtransactions and lootboxes aren't there to pay the devs,they're there to get Bobby a new yacht

[Yosho]

The last time I heard about ex-Blizzard devs making a game studio, they shutdown after Wildstar couldn't keep them afloat (may it rest in peace).

ever heard of Arena Net, and the Guild Wars games? clearly not it seems

[Calfredd]

ever heard of Arena Net, and the Guild Wars games? clearly not it seems

Good for you, I guess? Guild Wars predates Carbine so they can't be the last group of ex-Devs I could hear about.

[voskopoula]

“We’re not in a hurry to go out and get funding because the most important thing is to make sure we retain control over the company’s decision making,” Morhaime said. “When we do go out and seek investment, we want to be aligned in terms of vision and values.”

Obviously that's why so many blizz heads left blizzard. I love to "punish" big companies by never playing their games again, i did that with EA, i am readyto do it on activision, because here guys..look..even our beloved blizzard games are becoming EA-ed...

Hope Mike and his friends make some games before i turn 60 lol

[Fullmetal89]

I wish him the best of luck, but I wish he and the other founders hadn't sold Blizzard out to Activision.

[Djaye]

Yeah, he was one of these powerless CEO guys, unable to control his own company's destiny.

when your company is owned by another company, being a CEO means nothing. you are a manager fascilitating other peoples orders.
you might be able to voice an opinion here and there, but ultimately have control over nothing.

[Thunderball]

Blizzard is just another example of how you should never let go of the "reins", especially when control will go to people that are in it just for the money.

Hopefully something nice comes out of Dreamhaven.

WoW wouldnt exist if not for Vivendi's money. Blizzard's leadership had no say in the merger, all they got was shares.

[TrollHunter3000]

I have huge respect for this man. I wish him the best of luck, he deserves better than just seeing his former company tearing itself apart.

By tearing itself apart do you mean quadrupling their value in the last five years?

[TrollHunter3000]

This just confirms what we've known all along, Blizzard CEO does not hold the real power in the company since the merger. Activision does.

How does this have anything to do with that at all?

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Yeah, but there are a lot of ways to make money. I like this one:

Create really good, world class games, and use the power of reputation that those excellent games provide, to promote and sell those games for a profit. Offer great deals and small incentives to your loyal fans to further promote and build trust in your brand.

Or sell loot boxes and increase your revenue ten fold at the cost of a some customers.

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"We’re almost trying to create a haven for creators who want an environment that is development friendly, values product, and player experience over short-term financial pressures.”

oof.. Sounds like they really didn't like the new Blizzard.

Sounds like they know how to make fools believe what they want.

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So these studios are basically an opposite of what Blizzard has bcome.

They're literally nothing now. They haven't done anything.

[TrollHunter3000]

shit, if this doesn't confirm the theory that Morhaime was given two options with regards to Blizzard (Quiet bow-out or Public execution) I don't know what does.

Let's see what he can do without Activision breathing down his neck about Profits and Deadlines

Except he was already doing the same things people accuse activision of. Dude isn't worth 500 million for nothing.

[Daronokk]

can't make it any clearer than a former ceo and founder of a company to say his new venture is "trying to create a haven for creators who want an environment that is development friendly, values product, and player experience over short-term financial pressures". it's 100% clear now he left blizzard because of activision and their greed.

Agreed, this is too obvious a direct result of current Blizzard's toxic workplace. He is describing everything Blizzard is not. Shots fired. I wish him the best.

[Logwyn]

What's the over/under in years before its bought by Microsoft, Tencent, Apple, or Sony?

[Osmeric]

I wish him the best of luck, but I wish he and the other founders hadn't sold Blizzard out to Activision.

Blizzard was sold to investors long before Activision became involved. Hell, it was long before Vivendi became involved.

[Guuggel]

Except he was already doing the same things people accuse activision of. Dude isn't worth 500 million for nothing.

Quite often tbf

[Lothaeryn]

I fucking knew it. This would suggest Morhaime was forced out rather than retiring of his own volition. A guy like him doesn't just retire out of the blue.