Eleri just posted at Adventure Gamers.

Today, September 2nd, 2005 - a giant has fallen and whether you loathed, liked or loved and and/or all the Myst games... this is a loss for gaming.

Cyan, the Miller Brothers and all who worked on their games through out the years had an undeniable impact on gaming as a whole, on the genre and on many a gamer.

If for no other reason than their unflagging dedication to making games the way they envisioned and the way they wanted - that deserves respect.

I myself was not a dedicated fan of all their games, but I have every one in my collection and many have been some of the best crafted games I have played. And it would be rare indeed to find anyone regardless of their gaming preferences who has not heard of and played at least a part of - one of their games.

I hope that like the phoenix, they may yet rise again in some manner or form. But, I am saddened by their closure and happy they chose to follow the difficult and creative path of game development.

So raise a glass to the Millers and the dream that was Cyan.


Cyan FAQ's

Eleri's post: Cyan - the End of Ages..

gatorlaw-

I had tried to play some of their games, always had problems, problably me, but was looking forward to new releases of other games and I would hate to see them gone for good. I might of had trouble with the Myst games, but they do beautiful work and I feel so sad for so many telented people.

Maggie

Is it known why they closed? I thought the Myst games were all hugely successful

What a sad day for the entire gaming community. I know in my area the selection of new computer games of all genres is downsizing rapidly and this portents only more to come.
I truly hope as Laura does that Cyan will rise from the ashes. My heartfelt thanks to the very talented staff of Cyan and the very best wishes for their future endeavours.

Oh please say it isnt so I loved going away from this earth and into an unoccupied territory where there was only me and the tube and a future where no-one could hurt me I will miss them all

Goodbye and goodluck hope you all will chnge your mind and surprise us with an outstanding game!!! that would be really nice

You can read the Cyan FAQ here.

This is so sad. I was heartbroken when Uru was shelved, but at least there was the hope and expectation of more individual Myst games, (and hints of other things) from Cyan. Now, even that's gone.

I wish only the best for those wonderful, talented Cyantists. I was fortunate to have had the opportunity to meet several of them , albeit online, which simply adds to the sorrow. These are friends that I have come to know a bit, not just another company that folded. I can only hope they all find a place that will allow their amazing talents to flourish.

Hopefully, the End really has not been written............

Cyan stuck to their guns on the games they wanted to produce, and lost--in a way. Why is it someone who developed something as nice as Cyan did couldn't survive unless they lowered their standards? Hope they do return, but, they will be missed.

I have been very excited about all the new games that seem to be coming out, but my elation was just wiped out. I can't even visualize a gaming world without Cyan!!!

Thanks for all the joy you have brought to so many, Cyan--and we all hope that the end really has not been written...

Very Sad indeed very sad. Mike

They were involved in some of my favorite games.
It is a sad day.
Geo

Sitting here stunned. I hope they find an investor and can continue on with the games that they currently have planned.

Myst was my first PC game and my latest is URU . Is there a later game in the series that I have missed? I wouldn't count them out just yet. The staff is talented and committed and with the combo there has to be a happy ending...at least we can hope so.

there are 2 more Lexxy- Myst IV Revelation- and the newest- which is due out after sept 22- myst V end of ages-

What terribly sad news

Sue

Bonnie,
Thanks for the up date. I will see if I can get both. I should be able to get a trade for Myst IV Revelation . Can one pre order the one due out this month?

lexxy -- you can preorder Myst V: End of Ages at the Ubisoft Store or at EB World.

Both links posted above are for the PC version, according to the sites.

You can also buy the Myst V: End of Ages Limited Edition at either site. The Ubisoft store says that the Limited Edition is a PC/Mac hybrid. Neither store makes clear whether the non-limited edition is also a PC/Mac hybrid. It's a bit confusing.

Sadly
Like any good book the story or should I say ages finally comes to an end.

Even as much as we hate to see it end. The story and the ages will fade away into the "MYST's"of time.

I want to thank the Miller brothers for their vision and everyone else at Cyan who made the ages of Myst come to life for the wonderful ride, because were it not for Myst. I would not be the addicted gamer I am today.

Terokh Jeruth
The great tree of possibility.

I also hope that someone will come along and invest in the beliefs and vision of Rand and his brother so that they can continue to bring us games that are not only challenging but also fun to play. Instead of investing in trash like Grand Theft Auto San Andreas. I know this is what sells, but at what cost to our society

PS: I know their are people who will disagree with me about GTA. I am just voicing my opinion about the genre!

I agree with Doc and everyone else!

Were it not for Myst I would not be sitting at my computer gaming!

I along with everyone else am going to keep my fingers crossed that this is not the end!

Sassyladi

Unless something has changed, only the Myst V Limited Edition will be Mac compatable in the US. The standard edition is for PC only. The European editions are both for PC and Mac (standard and Collector's editions).

You can see more specific info and specs Here. As Becky stated, it is a little confusing.

Thanks which2!

I am very sorry that most of the staff has been laid off at Cyan Worlds But I just looked to the source of these reports and...Cyan is not gone.

The core group remains, at least some of the original Cyantists, and the name of the company has been saved at this point. This is very important! I can be a wild optimist where Cyan is concerned, but I am not giving up on them.

It aint over till its over!

I think everyone on my Christmas list is likely to get Myst V. Hope they don't mind!

Susan

I like adventure games myself, but I happen to enjoy the GTA games; I can see why they are so addictive to people. You can download GTA1 and GTA2 for free from RockstarGames . I recommend GTA2. Lots of keys are required to play, but 3 are what you use most often (in addition to the cursor keys). GTA2 download is 353.1 MB, so make sure you have a broadband connection if you want to try it. GTA2 and GTA1 are not as vulgar as GTA3, GTA: Vice City, nor GTA: San Andreas, but all GTA games have destruction and carjacking at their central core.

I guess I enjoy the racing & car jumps throughout the streets the most. Great fun with the GTA2 PowerManager.


Gamehound

What can I do to get on your list???

We may never know for sure but I suspect that the poor sales in signing up folks to play URU on line was a major aspect of Cyan's demise. Rand Miller alluded to the "lessons learned" from making URU an on line environment in one of his filmed interviews I've seen. Had Cyan been the group that produced Myst IV instead of UbiSoft, Cyan may have ended earlier due to financial problems.

I'm glad that Cyan took back the Myst series for its final installment and I look forward to getting my pre-paid copy of Myst V near the end of this month.

I wish all of the very talented world creators and designers at Cyan the best and I want to thank them for many, many hours of enjoyment. Good luck, Rand and Trey, in your future efforts.

Cyan achieved a lot, and influenced many people. They more than deserve their round of applause.

Like Bruce I feel "Uru" was a bridge too far for Cyan.

Cyan's closure may have a positive side if it redirects attention onto other kinds of Adventure games.

I think you're forgetting that publishers don't know Myst from TLJ or even from In Cold Blood.

We were starting to get more 3rd person adventures after TLJ and Syberia. The failure of Uru and Cyan can only serve to convince them that adventure games cannot be blockbusters and therefore are not worth pursuing.

It's too bad Cyan put all their eggs in one basket the way they did. The technology wasn't there for Uru Online at the time it came out. It was much too slow and buggy to attract many players. And its failure means no one else will try to create a similar online adventure game. If Cyan had produced interim games with the quality of Riven, they'd have made enough to have been able to pay their workers and stay in business until technology did advance to the point where an ordinary Myst fan would have been able to play a future version of Uru without those problems.

Going to have to disagree there.

Cyan is about the only adventure developer publishers DO know by name (the other famous folks of yesteryear haven't made adventure games in awhile). Rand Miller and his bro appeared in GAP ads and what not. People in the industry still know the name of Cyan, and most especially they still know Rand's name. He's been a pioneer as well as a dreamer.

Miller's efforts over time have attracted publicity that no other developer of our genre has been able to manage in a time when a virtual news blackout on non-fighting gaming seems to exist in mainstream venues. Only Sokal & the TLJ guy came close to drawing news attention, but it was a pretty distant second.

This is why even Cyan's potential closure makes the news on Slashdot.

I can't see blaming Rand for not guessing the correct timing for the release of something like Uru. He had to start way in advance fo the date to be ready, for one thing.

& A lot of technical people believed everyone would be gaming online in the near future. If Miller made a mistake thinking the market was ready for it, so did Bill Gates. Bill obviously thinks the time is ripe now. Ads for the tv/net system Gates planned over a decade ago are being promoted on tv as I write this.

IMHO the time for Uru to work is rapidly approaching. It is one of the very few titles friendly to the whole family. I truly believe it still has a chance if properly promoted. Someone said on a Myst forum that Cyan Worlds' games was the computer equivalent of Disneyland/Disneyworld. They make dreams families can share. Before Disney most parks weren't places you should take your kids. Thanks to Disney even naughtier places found it a profitable notion to maintain a child-friendly area.

Right now most of the games I see promoted online are about fighting: fantasy fighting, war sims, role-play, criminal, or crime fighting. Some virtual environments exist. Seemed like most of the ones I looked at weren't promoting family values though.

Seems to me we could still use that online 'Disneyland.'

Nintendo is the only other one who might manage it and they have been developing products in other directions. (I'm very grateful for the alternatives Miyamoto and his colleagues have made in the console market!)

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="3" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif"><strong>What can I do to get on your list???

I agree with almost all of what Susan said. I commend Cyan for building a vast world like URU and for taking a chance on the spread of broadband internet connections. The fact that the majority of homes in the US still don't have broadband is due to the cost of the service and the lack of any clear governmental mandate to make broadband the standard internet connection in this country.

Many European countries and cities, large and small, have broadband connections as a matter of fact - - it is the norm over there and the odd situation over here. There is something to be said for federalized and standardized communication pathways versus "free" competition by quasi-private/government funded entities like we have over here in nearly all utility sectors. But I digress. . .

For the homes that can afford broadband connections, online gaming is very popular. My 11 year old son is hooked on Guild Wars for instance but it only works due to the cable modem connection I have due to my working out of my house.

Game publishers like UbiSoft, the old Presto Studios, et al, did indeed know of Cyan. I hope that Rand was able to salvage some of the money he and Robin earned with Myst, Riven and the royalty fees Cyan earned from Myst 3 & 4 to rise phoenix-like and once again produce magical, family friendly worlds to explore.

Where did I say they'd never heard of Cyan?
What I said is that they can't tell one adventure game from another. So if Cyan fails they're more likely to think no adventure game will sell than to blame the lack of broadband or whatever. And that includes 3rd person adventures and adventures that aren't really much like Myst at all. Anything that doesn't rely on dexterity won't get a big budget for development.

I didn't even mention broadband in my previous message and I wasn't specifically talking about that when I said "the technology wasn't there." Even people with broadband and (at the time) fast computers had lags and bugs with Uru Online once any number of people joined.

Uru can't work now or in the future. It came out too early and it failed. And it will be the last attempt at a big budget online adventure for the forseeable future. Even if it had hadn't had technical problems, it's no certain thing that it could have built up an audience fast enough to suit the publishers.

I'm not blaming Rand for Uru's failure. But if he'd hedged his bets, Cyan would still be in operation. Uru would probably not be finished, since it would have been worked on in conjunction with a different game. But that would have been for the best anyway.

Jenny100, I see now what you meant and I agree with you that most game publishers cannot (or don't care enough to try) distinguish between pure adventure games and other types of PC games. Pure adventure games have been suffering from declining sales for the last few years and, as you pointed out, the failure of URU can only make publishers more wary about funding adventure games going forward.

Cyan reached high with URU, perhaps too high as it turned out, but they were true to their vision.

Perhaps the only way for pure adventure games to continue will be via the independent game designers that we see on GB and other sites. The downloadable games may be the only viable distribution alternative as well. There will be a few independent games that get "picked up" by publishers (like Dark Fall did) but it will be few and far between.

Yes it's very sad. It will probably mean we'll only have shorter games if they all go to download. A lot of adventure games are short even now, even though they aren't downloads. Not that short games can't be good, but it would be nice to have the choice of buying an epic length adventure once in a while.

I wonder, if games were only to be acquired through downolading, wouldn't that limit the market to those with broadband connections? Would someone with a dial-up connection want to take the time to download a game much over 1Mb, much less in the tens of Mb?

I can see broadband providers screaming if the federal government did mandate broadband be available for everyone who wanted to access the internet. The capital required for this to happen would be in the millions of dollars and there would be no guarantee of an adequate return on that capital. Or, the customer furtherest out would be paying a very high price because of their location

Well, I think the fact that they didn't just close their doors completely is probably a good sign. By cutting their operating costs down to very little just before (presumably) going into a period of cash inflow, they can basically take all of their revenues from Myst V and send it over to Ubi Soft.

In fact, I wonder whether Cyan is even in a position to take on more investment from other sources to make a new game, as long as (theoretically) Ubi was knocking on the door asking for their money.

The puzzling issue in all of this for me is: why stop making Myst games? I mean, I understand why they would stop from a creative perspective, but if there ever was a sure-fire way to bring in revenue from an adventure game, Myst would be it. Perhaps this is all a strategy to get the Ubi monkey off their backs for good, and then start fresh afterward.

Hi,
There is no official info on what is happening at Cyan, from Rand Miller, the CEO of Cyan Worlds. But - the best article on what is going on, both informative and evocative, is from Jack Allin, published at Adventure Gamers.

Adventure Gamers article about Cyan Worlds

It's difficult posting in a different timezone to most of the rest of you - one's always too late in reacting.

I didn't mean publishers when I said Cyan's closure might mean a positive change of attention. I meant the Adventure game community. Publishers are for the moment mostly a dead loss.

On the subject of publishers the late great Presto Studios were developers not publishers.

The future is in our hands. It really is.

MSZV, thanks for that link to the excellent summary on Cyan's situation. I hope it is a new beginning as Rand said rather than just an ending.

Cyan started as a "garage" company, and look at what came out of that!!!

Hopefully, this will become another case of what Mary, Queen of Scots, stated: "In my end is my beginning". I wish that Cyan would re-issue some of their oldest works, especially Manhole...

I'd like to see their earlier works as well. I really prefer the older games in many ways and it's neat to see how far game graphics have come. I wish the story lines were advancing as well.