Anybody Remember Myst?

Holy shit, this takes me back. For the uninitiated, Wiki-wiki-wikipedia says …

Myst is a graphic adventure puzzle video game designed by the Miller brothers, Robyn and Rand. It was developed by Cyan, Inc., published by Brøderbund, and released as a PC game for the Macintosh platform in 1993. In the game, players are told that a special book has caused them to travel to Myst Island. There, players solve puzzles and, by doing so, travel to four other worlds, known as Ages, which reveal the backstory of the game’s characters.

And then Ars Technica goes …

A few months back, Ars caught up with Myst developer Rand Miller … at the Cyan offices in Washington state to ask about the process of bringing the haunting island world to life. Myst’s visuals lived at the cutting edge of what interactive CD-ROM technology could deliver at the beginning of the multimedia age, and, perhaps unsurprisingly, fitting the breadth of the Millers’ vision onto CD-ROM didn’t happen without some challenges.

In a way, I’m kind of shocked to hear that Cyan is still around. But then again, they made a fortune on Myst and Riven (the followup), so I really shouldn’t be.

5 Replies to “Anybody Remember Myst?”

  1. I remember thinking “This looks cool. If I were into video games, I would play this.”

    The best part is his obsession with the lunar lander game.

  2. This post grows curiouser and curiouser.

    I looked up the Cyan outfit because hey Washington state, and figured they’d be at an exclusive Puget Sound address. Nope!

    They’re Spokane through-and-through, and I had never even heard of this. I blame fellow Spokane alum The Other Other Handsome Fat Elvis.

    And not just Spokane, but north Spokane – my hood.

    Seriously, WTF, they are headquartered in my brother’s backyard. My niece goes to Mt Spokane High School, just down the street.

    1. You’re practically family!

      And they’re still cranking out games. In 2013, Cyan released Obduction, and they’re currently developing a VR game called Firmament. Both Kickstartered. Or maybe it’s just Kickstarted?

  3. “Kickened”.

    Does a wildly successful franchise need this type of funding because it squandered its riches? Or just trying to avoid corporate overlordship?

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