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 The Manhole (1988), which was also the first game to be published as a CD-ROM. This was followed by 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 Myst, which went on to sell more copies than any other PC game up until the release of The Sims. 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 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 Uru: Ages Beyond Myst 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 mainline Myst series to an end with 2005's Myst V: End of Ages.
In the 2010s, Cyan embraced the crowd-funding model by using Kickstarter to fund their next game, Obduction (2016). They did the same for 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.
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. This version is scheduled for release sometime in 2024.
As of 2024, Cyan is the oldest surviving independent game studio in the United States.
Cyan's Games:
- The Manhole (1988)
- Cosmic Osmo and the Worlds Beyond the Mackerel (1989)
- Spelunx and the Caves of Mr. Seudo (1991)
- Myst (1993)
- realMyst (2000)
- realMyst Masterpiece Edition (2014)
- Myst (VR) (2020)
- Riven (1997)
- Riven: New Discoveries from the Lost D'ni Empire (2024)
- Uru: Ages Beyond Myst (2003)
- Uru: To D'ni (2004)
- Uru: The Path of the Shell (2004)
- Myst Online: Uru Live (2007)
- Myst V: End of Ages (2005)
- Cosmic Osmo's Hex Isle (2007)
- Bug Chucker (2011)
- Obduction (2016)
- Firmament (2023)
