Mike Morhaime, the gaming wizard and co-founder and former CEO of Blizzard Entertainment, is widely admired for his many contributions to the gaming industry. His penchant for the technical aspects of the gaming industry led him to co-found one of the biggest names in the eSports industry today. Mike can now be hired to speak at a range of corporate events where he shares his views on being an entrepreneur, innovating, and gives the inside scoop on the fast-paced world of eSports.
Mike’s inclination towards gaming came from an internship he did at the San Jose Microchip company as a college student. He then went on to study electrical engineering at UCLA and found a job at Western Digital which he promptly left to start a video game development company with two other UCLA alumni. This company, then called Silicon & Synapse, is now known as the renowned Blizzard Entertainment. Blizzard Entertainment is a titan in the gaming industry, having produced games like Warcraft: II in 1995 and World of Warcraft in 2004. Both of these games are revolutionised the gaming industry, the former for being the only internet-based game with great quality user experience, and the latter being one of the original subscription-based games to exist. And at the helm of these successes was Mike, steering Blizzard Entertainment to where it is today. After nearly 30 years in the eSports industry, Mike stepped down as CEO of Blizzard Entertainment in 2018.
His contributions to the industry have received their due in the way of the many awards and accolades bestowed upon Mike. 2008 saw Mike receiving the Annual Technology and Engineering Emmy Awards for World of Warcraft, as well as Mike being inducted into the Academy of Arts and Sciences’ Hall of Fame for his fantastic work as a game developer. In 2012, he received the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award in the technology category as well. Mike has also won the 2019 Honor Award by DICE Summit for his years of work in the industry, after having been invited to speak at the event in 2008 and 2011.
Today, Mike offers keynote speeches at events where he discusses his views the future of eSports, the lessons he has learnt from being an entrepreneur, how one can evolve with the dynamic eSports world and how to keep a straight head in life. His journey from being starting a company with little to no experience to being a highly-respected figure in the gaming industry is one that will inspire whoever listen to him. Book Mike Morhaime to speak at your event, and you are guaranteed to go back home with a burning desire to dream big!
