Former Blizzard president Mike Morhaime, in collaboration with other former senior members of Blizzard, has today announced the creation of a new games company called Dreamhaven, based in Irvine, California. Dreamhaven will create and publish original games via two new studios called Moonshot and Secret Door.
Dreamhaven CEO Mike Morhaime said in a statement:
“I’m excited to team up with such talented people who care deeply about games and their communities. 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.”
Moonshot’s team is led by former Blizzard executive producer Jason Chayes, with a team that includes former Hearthstone creative director Ben Thompson.
Chayes said in a statement:
“Dreamhaven has assembled some amazing people, folks who truly share our values, and we’re really excited to begin this next adventure together.
Though it’s very early days, when we think about Moonshot, we imagine a studio that celebrates curiosity and courage. We aspire to be bold in our approach, and we think the best way to do that is to create a culture centered around trust. That’s at the heart of how we’d like to work together and also how we’d like to connect with players once we’re a bit further down the road.”
Secret Door is also being led by a team consisting of former Hearthstone execs, including producer Chris Sigaty and game director Eric Dodds.
Chris Sigaty weighed in on today’s news with his own statement:
“The amount of game development and publishing experience at Dreamhaven combined with the camaraderie between our studios is already providing an unparalleled environment for creative collaboration.
At Secret Door, we are passionate about bringing players together in positive ways while building a sustainable home for creators. Dreamhaven is providing everything we need to head into uncharted territory. We cannot wait for others to join us on our journey!”
Dreamhaven currently has 27 employees across Dreamhaven and its two studios, with many more openings soon to be filled.
As for what sort of projects are in the pipeline, Morhaime and his team are so far tight-lipped, though given their background in fantasy and sci-fi role-playing games you’d have to assume something along those lines. Dreamhaven’s key art pictured above certainly suggests that will indeed be the case.
