8chan/8kun QResearch Posts (12)
#15090103 at 2021-11-27 20:58:08 (UTC+1)
Q Research General #19089: EBake in C major
>>15090055
Heroes of the Storm failed because it "was probably too late" - Mike Morhaime
News by Kirk McKeand
Contributor
Published on 26 Jun, 2019
Not long after Blizzard co-founder Mike Morhaime stepped down as president, the company announced that it would stop supporting Heroes of the Storm, the developer's MOBA.
https://www.vg247.com/heroes-storm-failed-probably-late-Mike-Morhaime
Blizzard co-founder Mike Morhaime no longer has a non-compete, could be coming back to games
News by Kirk McKeand
Published on 26 Jun, 2019
VG247 is out at GameLab, an industry event in Barcelona where Blizzard co-founder Mike Morhaime today accepted the 2019 Honor Award.
Morhaime stepped down as Blizzard's president in October 2018, did a short stint in an advisory role, then left the company he founded shortly after. He's since been enjoying retirement.
We got chance to talk to Morhaime during a roundtable interview, during which we asked about his non-compete contract with Blizzard. It appears he may be coming back to the games industry sooner than you may have thought, since his non-compete clause ended in April this year.
"I'm allowed to do anything now," Morhaime said. "The fact is right now we're still in the brainstorming phase, we're exploring a bunch of different ideas. I don't really have anything that I'm ready to talk about."
We followed up by asking ifhe planned to stay in games. "Some of our ideas are in games and some of them are not," he replied.
https://www.vg247.com/blizzard-co-founder-Mike-Morhaime-no-longer-non-compete-coming-back-games
Blizzard co-founder Frank Pearce leaving studio after 28 years
Pearce founded Blizzard with Mike Morhaime and Allen Adham
By Michael McWhertor@MikeMcWhertorJul 19, 2019, 5:51pm EDT
Blizzard Entertainment
Frank Pearce, one of the co-founders of Blizzard Entertainment, is leaving the game developer after 28 years at the company. Pearce announced his departure from Blizzard in a joint statement with J. Allen Brack, the president of the company.
"The time has come for me to step away from Blizzard and pass the torch to the next generation of leaders," Pearce said on Friday. He recounted the formation of Blizzard, originally known as Silicon and Synapse, with co-founders Mike Morhaime and Allen Adham, saying, "Looking back, I know how incredibly fortunate I was to have been a part of what Blizzard has become."
Pearce was a programmer on Blizzard's earlier titles, including The Lost Vikings, Blackthorne, Diablo and StarCraft. He later took on the role of chief development officer at Blizzard.
Pearce's departure comes less than a year after Morhaime announced his departure from Blizzard. The other co-founder, Allen Adham, left Blizzard in 2004, but returned to the company in 2016.
Brack called Pearce an integral, though not always prominently visible, member of Blizzard.
"[M]any of you haven't seen a lot of him publicly, nor seen the deep impact he's had on Blizzard, and on the culture specifically," Brack said. "But Frank has been here from the beginning, building and expanding the foundation and championing the values behind everything Blizzard does. Blizzard is better because of Frank Pearce."
"I have worked very hard and very passionately for a very long time," Pearce said. "Now it is time for me to reflect and be thoughtful about what comes next. I plan to spend more time active in the outdoors. I'd like to learn to play an instrument. I hope to devote more time to aspects of my life that may not have gotten as much attention in the past. One thing is for certain - I will continue to be a part of the Blizzard family.
"My request and hope for all of you is that you continue living the Blizzard values and that you be kind and respectful to one another as you experience what Blizzard creates in the future. Blizzard is a special place and a special community, and everyone with whom you interact is important to the Blizzard journey as it continues forward. Thanks to everyone for the wonderful past I have enjoyed, and thank you in advance for the great future I expect we will share."
https://www.polygon.com/2019/7/19/20701264/blizzard-frank-pearce-quits
#15090055 at 2021-11-27 20:44:30 (UTC+1)
Q Research General #19089: EBake in C major
>>15090042
Blizzard co-founders Mike Morhaime and Allen Adham bonded over a computer prank
News by Kirk McKeand
Published on 27 Jun, 2019
Blizzard might be one of gaming's powerhouses, but it had modest beginnings.
Co-founder Mike Morhaime was studying electrical engineering at UCLA and when he met Allen Adham, another student who he became good friends with. The two of them, along with Frank Pearce, would go on to form Blizzard.
One day Adham and Morhaime were sitting in the computer lab when Adham had to print something off. In those days, the printer was on a different floor, so Adham locked his computer terminal and went off to retrieve his print out, leaving Morhaime alone in a room with a locked terminal.
"So now it's just me sitting alone with this locked computer terminal next to me, and I noticed that after ten minutes it unlocked," Morhaime explained during his GameLab talk. "So, I did what probably all of you would've done - I relocked it, typed in a different password, find a new password. I wanted to pick something that I wouldn't forget because I figured I'd have to reveal it, and I wanted to pick something I'd never used before. So I picked 'joe'. J-O-E lowercase.
"Allen comes back five minutes later, sits down and when he types in his password it unlocks. So, I'm like, 'what happened?' So I said, 'Allen, how did you do that?' He said, 'Do what? I just typed in my password.' I said, 'What was your password?' He said, 'I'm not going to tell you that.' I said, 'Was it… "joe"?' He said, 'How did you know?' Anyway, we laughed for like a half an hour, we just couldn't believe that that had happened, and became very good friends."
From there, Adham graduated from UCLA and Morhaime graduated six months later. Morhaime had a good job at a company called Western Digital, writing test software for their network cards. Adham went about trying to recruit Morhaime to start up a new business in video game development.
"I had no game development experience," Morhaime remembered. "And Allen, basically he told me, 'Look, Mike, it's not rocket science. If we get some of our smart friends together, we can figure out how to do anything. We'll just find people that are passionate about making games, that are really smart, and we'll be able to compete with the best companies out there.' It's funny, so, I said, 'Why don't you come over, I want my dad to hear what you have to say.'
"Allen actually gave a whole pitch. And my dad said, 'You know, Mike, you got a great job at Western Digital. This sounds very risky.' And I also sought out other advice, one of my cousins said something different, and he said, 'Mike, you're young, you don't have a family yet, if it doesn't work out you can always get another job.' And so I ended up quitting the job at Western Digital and joining Allen and we started Silicon & Synapse. Allen had been friends with Frank Pearce from school. They had some classes together and they would always go after class to the arcade and play arcade games. And so when we started it was the three of us, Allen, Frank and I." (Is Westetn Digital on the list of CIA started companies?)
The first day in the office was spent assembling flat pack desks the trio had bought on the cheap. The studio then went on the ship its first game, Lost Vikings.
We also spoke to Morhaime about his biggest regrets, which you can read at that link.
https://www.vg247.com/blizzard-co-founders-Mike-Morhaime-allen-adham-bonded-computer-prank
#15089873 at 2021-11-27 19:57:56 (UTC+1)
Q Research General #19089: EBake in C major
>>15089648
Activision Blizzard, Inc. history, profile and history video
Anons a dig on founders of Blizzard, they borrowed money from grandmothers to start their company, like Gates and his garage
Hey werent the democrats playing ganes on theur phones when POTUS did his first SOU speech?
Activision Blizzard, Inc. is an American entertainment and gaming holding company headquartered in Santa Monica, California, U.S. It traces its history back to1979 when four software programmers decided to create a console video gamedeveloper. Initially called "Computer Arts, Inc.," the team pivoted and came up with the idea to combine "Active" and "Television," thus resulting in "Activision"-the very first independent, third-party console video game developer. Their first breakout title was Pitfall.
In 1991, Allen Adham, Frank Pearce, and Mike Morhaime founded Silicon & Synapse, entirely self-funded including money borrowed from their grandmothers. Three years later, changed its name to Blizzard Entertainment.
In 1994, Blizzard released its first breakthrough hit, a real-time strategy game called Warcraft: Orcs & Humans.
In 1996, the Blizzard technology team began the development of Battle.net, the first free online gaming service incorporated directly into the games people were already playing. It launched with the release of Blizzard's action-role-playing video game series Diablo.
In 1998, Blizzard Entertainment releases StarCraft®, a sci-fi real-time strategy game. Featuring a multiplayer mode, StarCraft allowed players to compete with or against one another through Blizzard's Battle.net platform.
In 2003, Activision and the development studio Infinity Ward, released Call of Duty, a first-person action set in World War II that would go on to become one of the biggest game series of all time.
In 2008, Activision, Inc.merged with the games division of the French media conglomerate Vivendi, Vivendi Games, a holding company principally for Sierra Entertainment and Blizzard Entertainment. The merger brings together Activision and Blizzard with some of the biggest games across both console and PC. Vivendi was the majority shareholder, with a 52% stake in the company, and Blizzard retained its autonomy and corporate leadership in the merger. Other Vivendi Games divisions such as Sierra ceased operation.
In 2012, King releases Candy Crush Saga, which became one of the highest-grossing mobile game franchises ever created.
On July 25, 2013, Activision Blizzard announced the purchase of 429 million shares from owner Vivendi for $5.83 billion, becoming an independent company as a majority of the shares became owned by the public. Vivendi was no longer Activision Blizzard's parent company.
In November 2015, the company announced the formation of Activision Blizzard Studios, a film production division that would produce films and television series based on Activision Blizzard's franchises.
In 2016, the Social gaming company King was acquired.
The company's portfolio includes some of the most iconic franchises in all of the entertainment, developed by Activision, Blizzard Entertainment, King Digital Entertainment, and their independent studios, including Infinity Ward, Sledgehammer Games, Toys for Bob, Treyarch, and Vicarious Visions.
Activision
Activision is a worldwide developer, publisher, and distributor of interactive entertainment for various gaming consoles, handheld platforms, and PC, including blockbuster franchises like Call of Duty®, Crash®, and SpyroTM.
https://www.companieshistory.com/activision-blizzard/
#8960505 at 2020-04-29 13:22:20 (UTC+1)
Q Research General #11469: Corney The Star Wars Video Game Commander Edition
China Connection to Blizzard
By July 2008, the merger was complete, with Vivendi Games effectively dissolved except for Blizzard, and the new company was named Activision Blizzard. Blizzard established a distribution agreement with the Chinese company NetEase in August 2008 to publish Blizzard's games in China.
wiki
BLIZZARD ENTERTAINMENT® AND NETEASE TO INTRODUCE STARCRAFT® II AND BATTLE.NET® PLATFORM INTO MAINLAND CHINA
SHANGHAI,CHINA - August 13,2008
2008/08/13 09:00:33
SHANGHAI,CHINA - August 13,2008 - Blizzard Entertainment,Inc. and NetEase.com,Inc.(NASDAQ: NTES) today announced an agreement to license Blizzard Entertainment®'s StarCraft® II, Warcraft® III: Reign of Chaos™, Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne™, and Battle.net® platform, which provides online multiplayer services for these games, to Shanghai EaseNet Network Technology Limited, an affiliated company of NetEase.com,Inc. Blizzard Entertainment and NetEase have also established a joint venture, which will provide support for the operation of the licensed games and Battle.net platform in China.
"NetEase has been a leader in the Chinese game market,and we look forward to working with them to deliver high-quality entertainment to Chinese gamers,"said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. "This partnership is a sign of our continued commitment to our players in China and to the local industry."
William Ding, CEO of NetEase, stated, "We're excited to be partnering with Blizzard Entertainment to bring StarCraft II and Battle.net to China. We hope to combine Blizzard Entertainment's expertise in developing world-class games with NetEase's strength in online-game operation in China to bring the best gaming experiences to our players."
About NetEase.com, Inc.
NetEase.com, Inc. is a leading China-based Internet technology company which has pioneered the development of applications, services and other technologies for the Internet in China. The NetEase Web sites, operated by our affiliate, organize and provide access to 2 local channels and 17 content channels through content distribution arrangements with over 150 international and domestic content providers. In addition, the NetEase Web sites contain over 1540000 personal home pages created and maintained by our users that enable users to express themselves, share items, interests and areas of expertise and to publish personal content accessible by other Chinese Internet users. The NetEase Web sites also offer online interactive community services through 1,800 community forums and over 115000 personal community forums created by registered users. At the end of March, 2004, the number of simultaneous chat room participants reached 55476 during peak hours. NetEase.com, Inc. offers auction and online mall technology services, which provide opportunities for e-commerce and traditional business customers to establish an online e-commerce presence on the NetEase Web sites.
http://ir.netease.com/news-releases/news-release-details/blizzard-entertainmentr-and-netease-introduce-starcraftr-ii-and
#4722499 at 2019-01-12 08:22:29 (UTC+1)
Q Research General #6026: Why Is The Senate Important? Edition
Not sure if any anons follow vidya (e-lol) but Mike Morhaime is stepped down completely from Blizzard. This comes as a shock to some however the pic related should illustrate why its not a shock to OP.
https://www.pcgamer.com/Mike-Morhaime-is-leaving-blizzard-for-good-in-april/
#4701413 at 2019-01-11 00:30:23 (UTC+1)
Q Research General #5999: Baby Baker Bakes Based Bread
Mike Morhaime Leaving Blizzard For Good in April
https://www.dvsgaming.org/Mike-Morhaime-leaving-blizzard-for-good-in-april/?fbclid=IwAR36k6R7A4-KQCZB-pN1o1AbhjMiVO9xJkDeRXDhZxi_HZDq_CNv1Py9Q2k
#4603526 at 2019-01-05 04:13:00 (UTC+1)
Q Research General #5872: Robert Jeffress Edition
More evidence Activision is being destroyed by SJW's
Activision Loses Second Finance Executive in Bad Start to Year
Activision Blizzard Inc. is losing another top financial executive, its second this week.
Amrita Ahuja is leaving her job as chief financial officer of the company's Blizzard Entertainment unit to be CFO of Square Inc., the San Francisco-based payment processor with a market value of almost $22 billion.
Ahuja is the second senior finance executive to leave Activision, following the departure of Spencer Neumann, who the company planned to fire this week before he landed at Netflix Inc. as CFO on Wednesday. Neumann had a provision in his contract that barred him from seeking other employment until his final months.
The departures come at a bad time for Activision, the producer of video games such as Call of Duty and World of Warcraft. The company has reported disappointing results for some key titles and annoyed fans with other moves. The two executives leaving this week add to a list of exits that included the heads of the company's two biggest divisions.
Analysts said Activision's slate of new games this year is weak, with no major new titles from Blizzard and tough comparisons to outsell last year's Call of Duty.
"2019 is shaping up to be a very light year," said Matthew Kanterman, a Bloomberg Intelligence analyst.
Fan Revolt
The Santa Monica, California-based company said on its third-quarter conference call that it was seeing lower revenue for two games, Overwatch and Hearthstone.
Activision caused a fan revolt at its annual BlizzCon event in October when it showed off a disappointing preview of a mobile version of its Diablo game.
Just before the event, Mike Morhaime, a co-founder of Activision's Blizzard division, said he was stepping down after 27 years. That followed the earlier departure of Eric Hirschberg, who ran the company's Activision Publishing label.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-01-03/activision-loses-second-finance-executive-in-bad-start-to-year
#4598145 at 2019-01-04 21:14:42 (UTC+1)
Q Research General #5865: WALL IS COMING Edition
Activision Blizzard loses its second executive in a week
Activision Blizzard is down a second chief financial officer this week. The publisher terminated its CFO, Spencer Neumann, early in the week, and now Blizzard's CFO, Amrita Ahuja, is leaving for Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey's mobile payment company, Square.
"In Amrita, we have found an amazing, multidimensional business leader," said Dorsey. "Amrita brings the ability to consider and balance opportunities across our entire business, and she will help strengthen our discipline as we invest, build, and scale."
huja joined Activision Blizzard eight years ago, becoming Blizzard's CFO only last March. 2018 wasn't a stellar year for the company, which saw shares drop by 26 percent in 2018. Declining user numbers also contributed to a 10 percent drop in November. It's been a bit tumultuous.
Blizzard president Mike Morhaime left the developer last year, and it's reportedly paying staff to leave in order to cut costs. At the end of 2018, Blizzard also announced it was scaling back Heroes of the Storm, moving developers onto other projects and shelving the Heroes Global Championship and Heroes of the Dorm tournaments.
https://archive.fo/GL3Yc
https://www.pcgamer.com/activision-blizzard-loses-its-second-executive-in-a-week/
#3962471 at 2018-11-19 19:44:15 (UTC+1)
Q Research General #5041: Wall of Concertina Edition
Honest to God question here, so no "slide memes" or any of that crap.
As I was reviewing Q posts, and thinking about all the CEOs stepping down, I remembered that a couple of CEO types from Blizzard Entertainment have stepped down.
To be more specific, Mike Morhaime, and Chris Metzen, have already left...actually I think there's 1 more but I can't remember the name.
The question is this-is there any plan known that will expose the video game industry?
Ever since Gamergate, I knew some level of exposure would be necessary in conquering the SJW infiltration therein.
#3331401 at 2018-10-04 18:48:43 (UTC+1)
Q Research General #4221: How It's Made: [SPY OP] Edition
Mike Morhaime steps down as Blizzard president
https://www.pcgamer.com/Mike-Morhaime-steps-down-as-blizzard-president/?utm_content=bufferb55a4&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=buffer_pcgamerfb
#3326169 at 2018-10-04 09:02:08 (UTC+1)
Q Research General #4214 Night Frogs Edition
New resignation!
Blizzard president Mike Morhaime has stepped down, with WoW producer J. Allen Brack assuming duties
Official statement: https://us.battle.net/forums/en/wow/topic/20769487479
>Blizzard is a giant gaming & e-sports company for those wondering.
#3319458 at 2018-10-03 23:28:41 (UTC+1)
Q Research General #4205 : Tensions Edition
Probably not important but… Blizzard CEO/Co-founder stepping down.
https://www.pocketgamer.biz/job-news/69188/blizzard-entertainment-president-and-co-founder-Mike-Morhaime-steps-down/