Ex-Blizzard Leaders Unveil New Venture at Dreamhaven Showcase

Five years ago, when Mike and Amy Morhaime founded Dreamhaven, I had the opportunity to discuss their vision for the company with several of its founding members. They expressed a desire to establish a sustainable publishing and support system for game studios, including the two they were launching at the time, Moonshot and Secret Door, as well as other partners they would collaborate with in the future.

At the conclusion of our interview, Mike Morhaime outlined an ambitious goal for Dreamhaven:

"We want, if I may be so bold as to say, to be a beacon to the industry," he remarked, referencing the company's lighthouse logo. "There's a better way of approaching the business of games and the operation of a game company that can yield excellent results, not only in terms of products and financial success but also in fostering a positive work environment. This approach could potentially elevate the entire industry."

At the time of Dreamhaven's inception, numerous studios led by former AAA executives were emerging, each with their own promises of creating something better and more sustainable. However, the gaming industry has since faced significant challenges, including a global pandemic, economic instability, widespread layoffs, studio closures, and project cancellations. Many of these visionary studios have either shut down before releasing their projects or have had to postpone their ambitions indefinitely.

Yet, Dreamhaven has thrived. Recently, the company partnered with The Game Awards for its inaugural showcase, unveiling not one or two, but four games. Two of these games are internally developed: Sunderfolk, a turn-based tactical RPG featuring couch co-op, set for release on April 23, and Wildgate, a newly announced crew-based first-person shooter centered around space heists (which we have previewed). The other two games are developed by external studios but published and supported by Dreamhaven: Lynked: Banner of the Spark, an action-RPG from LA-based developer FuzzyBot, currently available in early access and scheduled for its 1.0 launch in May, and Mechabellum, a turn-based tactical auto-battler from Chinese studio Game River, which was released last September. With Dreamhaven's assistance, Game River aims to keep Mechabellum updated and fresh for the long term.

Dreamhaven is not only focused on its own projects but is also actively supporting ten other external studios—many of which are led by former AAA developers—through investments, consultancy, and fundraising support. This support may sometimes extend to publishing, but not always. Speaking at the Game Developers Conference (GDC) last week, Mike Morhaime explained that from the outset, Dreamhaven's leaders aimed to create a "net" to "capture some of this great talent that was dispersing" across the industry.

Wildgate - First Screenshots

10 Images“We saw all these studios starting up and we have a lot of relationships,” he said. “We knew many of the people launching these studios and wanted to establish a structure that allowed us to be helpful and supportive, rooting for their success. We created a framework that enables us to offer guidance and advice to these studios and be incentivized to see them succeed.”

Throughout GDC, discussions revolved around the ongoing industry crisis and how the prioritization of profits over all else has contributed to the wave of cancellations, shut-downs, and layoffs. When asked about the tension between craft and business, Morhaime emphasized that these two elements are not mutually exclusive. He believes that to foster innovation, there must be a level of safety and space for experimentation.

“I think in order to create an environment that allows for innovation, you need to have a certain amount of safety and space to experiment and try new things,” he stated. “We're not against our products being successful and profitable. It's about focus. What are these teams focusing on? They're not concentrating on maximizing profitability at every step but rather on creating the best experience possible, which we believe is the right business strategy in the long run. With so much competition and numerous games released every year, the only way to stand out is by offering something truly special.”

With Dreamhaven and many of its partners staffed by AAA veterans, I asked Morhaime about the biggest lesson he learned from his time at Blizzard. He highlighted the importance of an "iterative" game development process.

“It was never a linear process. It wasn't a straight line where you have a perfect plan and everything goes according to plan, leading to happiness and success. We always encountered obstacles and things that didn't work as expected, but we had the flexibility and adaptability to address these issues along the way. So, I think approaching everything with an experimental mindset, where we're willing to try things and fix them if they aren't working, is crucial to ending up with something we're very proud of.”

When asked about the biggest difference between his time at Blizzard and his current role at Dreamhaven, Morhaime pointed to one word: agency.

“Probably the biggest difference is that this is such an experienced team, and we're structured in a way that gives a lot of agency to our leadership teams in the studios,” he explained.

“This creates a unique environment in terms of the relationship between our studios and the central company. The central teams are here to support the needs of the studio, and our studio heads and leadership are also founding members of Dreamhaven. So, it's really more of a partnership.”

Our conversation then turned to new technologies, specifically the ongoing tension in the gaming industry surrounding generative AI. Although the technology is unpopular among gamers and unsettling for many developers, numerous AAA gaming companies are starting to implement it, either discreetly or openly. Morhaime noted that Dreamhaven isn't shying away from the idea, but their use of generative AI has been cautious and limited to research on best practices and internal policy drafting. It's not being used in Dreamhaven's games.

“On one hand, I think it's super exciting as a technologist and someone who loves what technology can do. We're witnessing the birth of something truly fascinating in our lifetime. Just a few years ago, I never imagined that generative AI would be capable of doing some of the things it's doing now. There are many complexities around it, legal and ethical, and it's hard to predict how it will affect our lives. I believe it will impact all of us in various ways, some positive and some scary, but you can't just shut it off and put it back in a box. Ignoring it and pretending it's not there will put you at a huge disadvantage.”

Turning to a less controversial new technology, the Nintendo Switch 2, I noted that Sunderfolk and Lynked are both coming to Switch, while Mechabellum remains Steam-exclusive due to its genre. However, Wildgate's multi-platform announcement notably excluded the Switch. Morhaime remained tight-lipped about that but offered his thoughts on the new console:

“I think console transitions can be very disruptive, but they can also be invigorating and beneficial for the games industry,” he said. “As a gaming startup, console transitions are positive for us. If you already have games and are selling, then there's some disruption to worry about, but we don't have that problem. And as a gamer, I think console transitions are exciting.”

As we concluded our discussion, I asked Morhaime if he believes Dreamhaven has succeeded in the mission he outlined five years ago. Is Dreamhaven a "beacon to the industry"? Morhaime feels they're not there yet. They still need to release their games and gauge the response from players and the industry.

“We have to release games that people love and be financially successful, because if we aren't either of those things, nobody's going to look at us as a beacon for anything,” he said.

“What I really want to see is for Dreamhaven to build a reputation with gamers, where the brand stands for something—a seal of quality. Hopefully, we can build trust so that players know that if a game comes from Dreamhaven, regardless of genre, it's going to be something very special, and they'll be curious to check it out.”