Mike Morhaime

Co-Founder and former CEO of Blizzard Entertainment, Mike Morhaime is a key figure in eSports. A life long passion for gaming led to his entrepreneurial venture becoming a huge success and to him being a highly regarded member of the gaming community.

As the co-founder of Blizzard Entertainment Mike has been at the forefront of its development into the gaming powerhouse it is today. From their first major release in 1995: Warcraft ll, which was the only internet-based game that had a quality user experience at the time, to creating the original subscription based game, World of Warcraft in 2004, Mike has been guiding Blizzard’s journey. His experience as an entrepreneur, business leader and games developer is unrivaled as he spent nearly three decades navigating the evolving eSports industry. In 2018 Mike stepped down as the President and CEO of Blizzard Entertainment.

An internship at San Jose Microchip Company during his college years first sparked an interest in the technical side of gaming for Mike. After completing his electrical engineering studies at the University of California (UCLA), Mike went on to work for Western Digital for a short time before he made a decision that turned out to be life-changing. Another two UCLA alumni approached Mike about starting a video game development company, and in 1991 the trio founded Silicon & Synapse, which was later named Blizzard Entertainment.

Over the course of his trailblazing career, Mike has been recognised for his incredible contributions to the gaming industry. In 2008 he was honored at the Annual Technology & Engineering Emmy Awards for Blizzard’s historic creation of World of Warcraft. In the same year, he was inducted into the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences’ Hall of Fame that shows appreciation for game developers that have made revolutionary achievements. For his admirable entrepreneurial vision, Mike was awarded the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2012 in the technology category.

After speaking at the 2008 and 2011 DICE Summit on a range of topics from turning Blizzard Entertainment into a global enterprise to the future of eSports, Mike was invited back again in 2019. However, on this occasion, he was there to accept the 2019 Honor Award for his incredible success in the industry. A well-deserved achievement for a widely admired icon in gaming.

Mike Morhaime is a humble man who can offer inspiring keynote speeches on being an entrepreneur, leading innovation and the fast-evolving world of eSports. He will resonate with all audiences as he shares his tale of following his passion and turning it into profit, whilst remaining grounded and grateful.