Blizzard vets form new mobile MMO company

At this point, we're beginning to think there are more former Blizzard employees than current Blizzard employees -- and they all form their own companies! The newish Silicon Valley startup, entitled Booyah, was recently announced earlier this year from ex-Blizzard vets Keith Lee, Brian Morrisroe and Sam Christiansen. This company aims to create what they're calling a "playful life companion", marrying the qualities of an MMO, social network sites and Apple's iPhone. This new project aims for a public unveiling in late Spring of 2009. So... like a month?

What makes this project extra interesting is the fact that Booyah's advisory board consists of Blizzard's executive vice president of game design, Rob Pardo, and vice president of marketing for Nexon, Min Kim. Ok, now we're ready to take this project a bit more seriously. "We were immediately compelled by the promise of Booyah and the background of the founders," said Matt Murphy, one of the investment partners at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, who recently gave Booyah $4.5 million in Series A financing. "The iFund was created to help build the most promising and innovative businesses that utilize the discrete capabilities of the iPhone and iPod touch. Booyah is a terrific example."