History Creator / Cyan

[[https://cyan.com Cyan]] (also known as Cyan Worlds) is an American video game company based in Mead, Washington (just outside of Spokane). Cyan began in 1987 as a publisher of children's games. The first game they released was ''VideoGame/TheManhole'' (1988), followed by ''[[VideoGame/CosmicOsmo Cosmic Osmo and the Worlds Beyond the Mackerel]]'' (1989) and ''Spelunx and the Caves of Mr. Seudo'' (1991).

In 1991, founders Rand and Robyn Miller decided they wanted to make a game for adults. The result was 1993's ''VideoGame/{{Myst}}'', which went on to sell more copies than any PC game up until the release of ''VideoGame/TheSims''. The success of ''Myst'' enabled Cyan to hire more employees and move their base of operations from the Millers' garage to a new facility. Their next release was 1997's ''VideoGame/{{Riven}}'', a sequel to ''Myst'' that some fans regard as being among the greatest games ever made. [[VideoGame/MystIIIExile Further]] [[VideoGame/MystIVRevelation sequels]] to ''Myst'' were produced by other companies while Cyan focused on their next project, a 3D multiplayer game set in the ''Myst'' universe. 2003's ''VideoGame/UruAgesBeyondMyst'' was far more ambitious than anything Cyan had ever attempted. Unfortunately, publisher Creator/{{Ubisoft}} canceled the multiplayer component, forcing Cyan to release the game as single-player only. The online service [=GameTap=] later revived the multiplayer aspect, rebranding the game as ''Myst Online: Uru Live'', but this too was canceled due to a lack of subscribers. Cyan officially brought the ''Myst'' series to an end with 2005's ''VideoGame/MystVEndOfAges''.

Over the years, Cyan has released updated versions of ''Myst'' to account for changes in technology. A 3D remake, entitled ''realMyst'', was released in 2000, followed by ''realMyst Masterpiece Edition'' in 2014. 2020 saw the release of a VR version. Cyan is currently working on a remake of ''Riven'' that will include new content and an expansion of the game's lore.

As of 2023, Cyan is the oldest surviving independent game studio in the United States.

** ''Uru: To Dn'i'' (2004)

In the 2010s, Cyan embraced the crowd-funding model by using Kickstarter to fund their next game, ''VideoGame/{{Obduction}}'' (2016). They did the same for ''VideoGame/{{Firmament}}'' (2023), which was their first game made specifically for VR. Both games met with mixed reviews from critics and fans and did not achieve the success of Cyan's earlier games.

In 1991, founders Rand and Robyn Miller decided they wanted to make a game for adults. The result was 1993's ''VideoGame/{{Myst}}'', which went on to sell more copies than any PC game up until the release of ''VideoGame/TheSims''. The success of ''Myst'' enabled Cyan to hire more employees and move their base of operations from the Millers' garage to a new facility. Their next release was 1997's ''VideoGame/{{Riven}}'', a sequel to ''Myst'' that some fans regard as being among the greatest games ever made. [[VideoGame/MystIIIExile Further]] [[VideoGame/MystIVReveleation sequels]] to ''Myst'' were produced by other companies while Cyan focused on their next project, a 3D multiplayer game set in the ''Myst'' universe. 2003's ''VideoGame/UruAgesBeyondMyst'' was far more ambitious than anything Cyan had ever attempted. Unfortunately, publisher Creator/{{Ubisoft}} canceled the multiplayer component, forcing Cyan to release the game as single-player only. The online service [=GameTap=] later revived the multiplayer aspect, rebranding the game as ''Myst Online: Uru Live'', but this too was canceled due to a lack of subscribers. Cyan officially brought the ''Myst'' series to an end with 2005's ''VideoGame/MystVEndOfAges''.

In 1991, founders Rand and Robyn Miller decided they wanted to make a game for adults. The result was 1993's ''VideoGame/{{Myst}}'', which went on to sell more copies than any PC game up until the release of ''VideoGame/TheSims''. The success of ''Myst'' enabled Cyan to hire more employees and move their base of operations from the Millers' garage to a new facility. Their next release was 1997's ''VideoGame/{{Riven}}'', a sequel to ''Myst'' that some fans regard as being among the greatest games ever made. Further sequels to ''Myst'' were produced by other companies while Cyan focused on their next project, a 3D multiplayer game set in the ''Myst'' universe. 2003's ''VideoGame/UruAgesBeyondMyst'' was far more ambitious than anything Cyan had ever attempted. Unfortunately, publisher Creator/{{Ubisoft}} canceled the multiplayer component, forcing Cyan to release the game as single-player only. The online service [=GameTap=] later revived the multiplayer aspect, rebranding the game as ''Myst Online: Uru Live'', but this too was canceled due to a lack of subscribers. Cyan officially brought the ''Myst'' series to an end with 2005's ''VideoGame/MystVEndOfAges''.

[[https://cyan.com Cyan]] (also known as Cyan Worlds) is an American video game company based in Mead, Washington (just outside of Spokane). Cyan began in 1987 as a publisher of children's games. The first game they released was ''VideoGame/TheManhole'' (1988), followed by ''[[VideoGame/CosmicOsmo Cosmic Osmo and the Worlds Beyond the Mackerel]]'' (1989) and ''Spelunx and the Caves of Mr. Seudo'' (1991). In 1991, founders Rand and Robyn Miller decided they wanted to make a game for adults. The result was 1993's ''VideoGame/{{Myst}}'', which went on to sell more copies than any PC game up until the release of ''VideoGame/TheSims''. The success of ''Myst'' enabled Cyan to hire more employees and move their base of operations from the Millers' garage to a new facility. Their next release was 1997's ''VideoGame/{{Riven}}'', a sequel to ''Myst'' that some fans regard as being among the greatest games ever made. Further sequels to ''Myst'' were produced by other companies while Cyan focused on its next project, a 3D multiplayer game set in the ''Myst'' universe. 2003's ''VideoGame/UruAgesBeyondMyst'' was far more ambitious than anything Cyan had ever attempted. Unfortunately, publisher Ubisoft canceled the multiplayer component, forcing Cyan to release the game as single-player only. The online service [=GameTap=] later revived the multiplayer aspect, rebranding the game as ''Myst Online: Uru Live'', but this too was canceled due to a lack of subscribers. Cyan officially brought the ''Myst'' series to an end with 2005's ''VideoGame/MystVEndOfAges''.