Five years ago, Mike and Amy Morhaime launched Dreamhaven with a clear vision: to create sustainable infrastructure for game studios. In our initial interview, founding members described their ambition to support both their in-house teams (Moonshot and Secret Door) and future partner studios through publishing and operational backing.
Toward the end of our conversation, Mike Morhaime articulated an ambitious aspiration for the fledgling company:
"To borrow from our lighthouse branding, we aspire to illuminate a better path for the industry," he explained. "There's a superior approach to game development that delivers exceptional products, financial success, and healthy workplace cultures - one that could potentially raise standards across the sector."
When Dreamhaven emerged, a wave of AAA veterans were establishing independent studios with grand promises about reshaping game development. Yet intervening years brought unprecedented challenges: a global pandemic, economic turbulence, widespread layoffs, and studio closures. Many promising ventures folded before shipping titles or postponed ambitions indefinitely.
Dreamhaven weathered the storm differently. Their recent Game Awards debut showcased not one but four titles. Two internal projects led the charge: Sunderfolk, a couch co-op tactical RPG launching April 23, and Wildgate, a newly revealed crew-based space heist FPS (which we've previewed). The other two represent external collaborations: FuzzyBot's early access action-RPG Lynked: Banner of the Spark targeting May 1.0 release, and Game River's Mechabellum - a tactical auto-battler that might appeal to former StarCraft devs, now receiving long-term support.
For a relatively young company, this constitutes remarkable momentum. But Dreamhaven's scope extends further: they're actively supporting ten additional studios founded by ex-AAA talent through investment, consulting, and fundraising assistance - sometimes including publishing deals. Speaking with Morhaime at GDC last week, he emphasized Dreamhaven's original goal of creating a "safety net" for dispersed industry talent.
Wildgate - First Screenshots
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"We recognized this wave of new studios emerging from our professional networks," Morhaime noted. "Our objective was crafting a framework where we could actively champion these teams' success through strategic guidance while maintaining aligned incentives."
Throughout GDC, discussions continually circled back to the industry's profit-driven crisis manifesting in cancellations and downsizing. When pressed about balancing creative vision with business realities, Morhaime rejects framing them as opposing forces - though he posits innovation requires tolerance for occasional failure.
"Truly groundbreaking games emerge from environments allowing safe experimentation," he asserts. "Profitability matters, but can't be the daily obsession. Exceptional player experiences ultimately drive sustainable success in our saturated marketplace."
Given Dreamhaven's AAA-veteran composition, I inquired about key lessons from Morhaime's Blizzard tenure. He highlights the critical importance of iterative development processes over rigid planning.
"Successful development isn't linear. We constantly encountered unanticipated challenges requiring flexibility - abandoning what didn't work while refining promising directions. This experimental mindset consistently yielded products we felt genuine pride in."
The fundamental contrast with his Blizzard days? Greater autonomy across Dreamhaven's structure.
"Our experienced leadership teams operate with remarkable independence," Morhaime explains. "Rather than top-down oversight, we've built a true partnership model where central resources exist solely to support studio needs."
Our conversation shifts to emerging technologies and generative AI's polarizing industry role. While Dreamhaven researches responsible applications internally, Morhaime confirms zero AI utilization in active game development - though he acknowledges both its disruptive potential and inevitability.
"As technologists, witnessing AI's capabilities unfold is profoundly exciting, though ethically complex. Attempting to suppress technological progress proves futile - organizations ignoring these tools risk strategic disadvantage despite legitimate concerns."
On Nintendo's upcoming hardware transition (notably absent from Wildgate's multi-platform announcement), Morhaime expresses optimism:
"Console generations energize the industry. Though potentially disruptive for established franchises, they create opportunities for nimble developers like ourselves."
Circling back to Dreamhaven's original aspirations, does Morhaime consider their lighthouse metaphor fulfilled? Not yet - successful launches and industry validation remain prerequisites.
"Ultimately, we want players recognizing Dreamhaven as a seal of quality across genres - a brand warranting attention regardless of project specifics," Morhaime concludes. "That trust must be earned through delivered excellence."
