Myst (series)

{{Short description|Adventure video game series}} {{Good article}} {{Use mdy dates|date=March 2016}} {{Infobox video game series |title =Myst | image = Myst-logo.svg | developer = {{ubli|Cyan Worlds (''Myst'', ''Riven'', ''Uru'', ''V'')|Presto Studios (''III'')|Ubisoft Montreal (''IV'')}} | publisher = {{ubli|Broderbund (1993–1996)|Red Orb Entertainment (1997–2000)|Ubisoft (2000–2007)|Cyan Worlds (2008–present)}} | creator={{ubli|Rand Miller|Robyn Miller}} | composer = {{ubli|Robyn Miller (''Myst'', ''Riven'')|Jack Wall (''III'', ''IV'')|Tim Larkin (''Uru'', ''V'')}} | platforms = {{Collapsible list|Classic Mac OS, Windows, 3DO, Sega Saturn, Atari Jaguar CD, PlayStation, CD-i, AmigaOS, PlayStation 2, Xbox, Pocket PC, PlayStation Portable, Nintendo DS, iOS, Nintendo 3DS, Android, Nintendo Switch, Oculus Quest, Oculus Quest 2, macOS, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One}} | first release version = ''Myst'' | first release date = September 30, 1993 | latest release version = ''Riven'' (remake) | latest release date = June 25, 2024 }}

'''''Myst''''' is a franchise centered on a series of adventure video games. The first game in the series, ''Myst'', was released in 1993 by brothers Rand and Robyn Miller and their video game company Cyan, Inc. The first sequel to ''Myst'', ''Riven'', was released in 1997 and was followed by three more direct sequels: ''Myst III: Exile'' in 2001, ''Myst IV: Revelation'' in 2004, and ''Myst V: End of Ages'' in 2005. A spinoff featuring a multiplayer component, ''Uru: Ages Beyond Myst'', was released in 2003 and followed by two expansion packs.

''Myst''{{'}}s story concerns an explorer named Atrus who has the ability to write books that serve as links to other worlds, known as Ages. This practice of creating linking books was developed by an ancient civilization known as the D'ni, whose society crumbled after being ravaged by disease. The player takes the role of an unnamed person referred to as the Stranger and assists Atrus by traveling to other Ages and solving puzzles. Over the course of the series, Atrus writes a new Age for the D'ni survivors to live on, and players of the games set the course the civilization will follow.

The brothers developed ''Myst'' after producing award-winning games for children. Drawing on childhood stories, the brothers spent months designing the Ages players would investigate. The name ''Myst'' came from Jules Verne's novel ''The Mysterious Island''. After ''Riven'' was released, Robyn left Cyan to pursue other projects, and Cyan began developing ''Uru''; developers Presto Studios and Ubisoft created ''Exile'' and ''Revelation'' before Cyan returned to complete the series with ''End of Ages''. ''Myst'' and its sequels were critical and commercial successes, selling more than twelve million copies; the games drove sales of personal computers and CD-ROM drives as well as attracting casual gamers with its nonviolent, methodical gameplay. The video games' success has led to three published novels in addition to soundtracks, a comic series, and television and movie pitches.

==Plot== [[File:Realmyst linking book.png|thumb|A linking book as seen in ''realMyst''. By touching the animated panel, players are warped to the Age described.]]

{{anchor|Storyline continuity}} {| class="wikitable mw-collapsible floatright" ! scope="colgroup" colspan="4" style= | ''Myst'' story chronology |- | scope="rowgroup" colspan="4" | {{Unbulleted list center

| ''Myst: The Book of Ti'ana'' (1996) | ''Myst: The Book of Atrus'' (1995) | ''Myst'' (1993) | ''Riven: The Sequel to Myst'' (1997) | ''Myst: The Book of D'ni'' (1997) | ''Myst III: Exile'' (2001) | ''Myst IV: Revelation'' (2004) | ''Uru: Ages Beyond Myst'' (2003) | ''Uru Live'' (2003-2004) | ''Uru: To D'ni'' (2004) | ''Uru: The Path of the Shell'' (2004) | ''Myst V: End of Ages'' (2005) | ''Until Uru'' (2006) | ''Myst Online: Uru Live'' (2007-2008) | ''Myst Online: Uru Live again'' (2010)}} |}

''Myst''{{'}}s story begins with the arrival of a people known as the D'ni on Earth, almost 10,000 years ago. The D'ni {{IPAc-en|d|ə|ˈ|n|iː}} are an ancient race who used a special skill to create magical books that serve as portals to the worlds they describe, known as Ages. The D'ni build a great city and thriving civilization in caverns. A young geologist from the surface, Anna, stumbled upon the D'ni civilization. Learning the D'ni language, Anna becomes known as Ti'ana and marries a D'ni named Aitrus; the couple have a son named Gehn. Soon after, D'ni is ravaged by a plague created by a man named A'Gaeris. Aitrus sacrifices himself to save his wife and child, killing A'Gaeris while Ti'ana and Gehn escape to the surface as the D'ni civilization falls.<ref name="apple-timeline">{{cite web|author=Staff|date=November 1, 2004|url=https://www.apple.com/games/articles/2004/11/myst4/index2.html|title='Myst IV: Revelation': A Family Affair|publisher=Apple Inc|access-date=November 9, 2008}}</ref>

Ti'ana raises Gehn until he runs away as a teenager, learning the D'ni Art of writing descriptive books. Ti'ana also cares for Gehn's son, Atrus, until Gehn arrives to teach Atrus the Art. Atrus realizes that his father is reckless and power-hungry, and with the help of Ti'ana and a young woman, Catherine, Atrus traps Gehn on his Age of Riven with no linking books. Atrus and Catherine marry and have two children, Sirrus and Achenar. The brothers grow greedy, and, after plundering their father's Ages, they trap Catherine on Riven. When Atrus returns to investigate, the brothers strand him in a D'ni cavern before they themselves are trapped by special "prison" books. Through the help of a Stranger, Atrus is freed and sends his benefactor to Riven to retrieve Catherine from the clutches of Gehn.<ref name="apple-timeline"/> Sirrus and Achenar are punished for their crimes by being imprisoned in separate Ages until they reform.<ref name="ign-m4rev">{{cite web|author=Castro, Juan|date=October 4, 2004|url=http://pc.ign.com/articles/553/553920p1.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041013023733/http://pc.ign.com/articles/553/553920p1.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 13, 2004|title=Myst IV Revelation Review; Is the latest adventure worth the trip?|publisher=IGN|access-date=December 19, 2007}}</ref>

Atrus writes a new Age called Releeshahn for the D'ni survivors to rebuild their civilization as he and Catherine settle back on Earth, raising a daughter named Yeesha. As Atrus prepares to take the Stranger to Releeshahn, a mysterious man named Saavedro appears and steals the Releeshahn Descriptive Book. The Stranger follows Saavedro through several Ages (which were used to train Sirrus and Achenar in the art of writing Ages) before finally recovering the book. Ten years later, Atrus asks for the Stranger's help in determining if his sons have repented after their lengthy imprisonment; the Stranger saves Yeesha from Sirrus's machinations, but Sirrus and a repentant Achenar are killed. D'ni is not fully restored until the creatures the D'ni enslaved, known as the Bahro, are freed.{{cn|date=May 2026}}

===Characters=== {{summarize-section|date=May 2026}} ====Atrus and Catherine====

Atrus is the main non-player character in the ''Myst'' series, appearing in all five games of the main series; he also narrates the opening of ''Uru: Ages Beyond Myst''. He is a member of the ancient D'ni civilization, though his only D'ni inheritance is through his paternal grandfather. The D'ni perfected a craft known as the Art, which allowed them to create portals to other worlds known as Ages by writing a descriptive "linking book".<ref name="apple-timeline"/> After the fall of the D'ni civilization, Atrus' father, Gehn, teaches him the Art and Atrus creates many linking books, surpassing his father's skill in writing.<ref name="apple-timeline"/> Atrus comes to understand his father's power-hungry nature; as punishment for defying him, Gehn traps Atrus on K'veer, an island off of the main D'ni city, with a book leading to Gehn's Age of Riven as the only escape.<ref name="book of atrus">{{cite book|last1=Wingrove|first1=David|last2=Miller|first2=Rand|last3=Robyn |first3=Miller|year=1995|title=Myst: The Book of Atrus|publisher=Hyperion Books|isbn=9780786881888}}</ref>

On Riven, Atrus meets Catherine, a local inhabitant and a brilliant student of Gehn's who shows promise in the Art of writing Ages, despite not being D'ni herself. Together they trap Gehn on Riven. Atrus' grandmother, Anna ("Ti'ana"), helps Catherine by writing the Age of Myst as an escape route while Atrus destroys every other linking book on Riven.<ref name="book of atrus"/> The linking book to Myst is dropped into a starry expanse known as the Star Fissure, where it is presumed lost (but later found by the Stranger, beginning the events of ''Myst'').<ref>{{cite news|date=December 3, 1995|title=Books in Brief|work=Roanoke Times & World News|page=F4}}</ref> Catherine and Atrus start a family on Myst, raising their two sons, Sirrus and Achenar; however, both boys grow greedy and seek to strand their parents, trapping Atrus on K'veer and luring Catherine to Riven, where she is captured by Gehn. The Stranger's discovery of the Myst linking book saves Atrus from being trapped in K'veer a second time, and Catherine from Gehn's clutches.<ref name="apple-timeline"/> Moving to Tomahna, Atrus and Catherine have a third child, their daughter Yeesha, and attempt to resurrect the D'ni by writing a new Age for the people called Releeshahn. By the events of ''End of Ages'', Catherine has died (likely from old age), and an elderly Atrus confines himself in Releeshahn to live out the rest of his life.<ref name="gamezone-rev">{{cite web|first=Eberle|last=Matt|date=September 20, 2005|url=http://pc.gamezone.com/gzreviews/r25548.htm|title=''Myst V: End of Ages'' Review - PC|website=GameZone|access-date=October 29, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051214165529/http://pc.gamezone.com/gzreviews/r25548.htm|archive-date=December 14, 2005}}</ref> Atrus is played by Rand Miller in all the ''Myst'' installments. Catherine is portrayed by Sheila Goold in ''Riven'', with her voice dubbed by Rengin Altay,<ref name="manual-riven">{{cite book|title=Riven: The Sequel to Myst - User's Manual|publisher=Broderbund|year=1997|edition=Windows version|page=18|series=Credits}}</ref> and Maria Galante in ''Exile''.{{cn|date=May 2026}}

====Sirrus and Achenar==== {{Redirect|Sirrus|similar sounding terms|cirrus (disambiguation)}} {{for|the stars and other uses|Achernar|Sirius (disambiguation)}} Sirrus and Achenar are the sons of Atrus and Catherine and are the eldest of their three children. They first appear in ''Myst'', trapped in two different books. Each swears that he is innocent of plundering their father's Ages, claims that Atrus is dead, and that the other brother is to blame. In actuality, both brothers grew greedy, destroyed Atrus' library, killed the inhabitants of the Ages, and attempted to strand their parents forever. They in turn are trapped in special prison books Atrus designed to imprison unwanted travelers.<ref name="apple-timeline"/> Once he is freed by the Stranger, Atrus burns Sirrus and Achenar's books.{{cn|date=May 2026}}

''Revelation'' reveals that the brothers remained exiled on two different Ages for twenty years, where Atrus and Catherine hoped they would reform.<ref name="thc-tiresome">{{cite news|last=Odelius|first=Dwight|date=October 26, 2004|title=''Myst IV'' Extends Story Behind Game|work=Houston Chronicle|page=4}}</ref> During his imprisonment in the inhospitable Age of Spire, Sirrus learns to harness the Age's electromagnetism to create crude airships and crystalline explosives. He is thoroughly embittered by his exile, especially when he learns about his sister Yeesha and how Atrus is teaching her the D'ni language and the Art of Writing, which he never taught his sons. Sirrus uses his explosives to breach the linking chamber Atrus installed, and manages to escape. Achenar, trapped in the jungle Age of Haven, becomes a game hunter preying upon the local wildlife. However, he is overcome with remorse when he hunts one species to extinction, and is later befriended by a group of monkey-like creatures. After Sirrus helps Achenar escape, they travel to the Age of Serenia. According to a journal Achenar kept on Serenia twenty years before, Sirrus' original plan was to trap Catherine on Riven and use an aging "Memory Chamber" to steal Atrus' knowledge of the Art.<ref>'''Achenar''': Find my journal, the one from twenty years ago. Sirrus doesn't even know that I kept one. I hid it in a stone pillar in the forest, near where two rivers are crossing. It'll explain everything.—{{cite video game|title=Myst IV: Revelation |developer=Ubisoft |level=Serenia}}</ref> After escaping from Spire, Sirrus kidnaps Yeesha and uses the old Memory Chamber to take over her body, intending to play-act as Yeesha long enough to learn the Art before killing his parents.<ref>'''Sirrus''': Father and Mother will teach you the Art, never knowing it's really me doing the learning! Of course, I'll kill them as soon as I know how to write Ages, then I'll put my new memories back in my body, and no one will be able to stop me!—{{cite video game|title=Myst IV: Revelation |developer=Ubisoft |level=Dream}}</ref> Achenar, who has reformed during his imprisonment, helps the Stranger set Yeesha's memories right again.<ref>'''Achenar''': This is ''not'' Yeesha. Sirrus used the machine. He forced the memory chamber to remove all of her memories. This is Sirrus, I tell you!. [...] (to player) You have to set everybody's memories right again. Turn the amber lever to begin the process.—{{cite video game|title=Myst IV: Revelation |developer=Ubisoft |level=Serenia}}</ref> Sirrus is killed when the Stranger reverses the mind-switch; Achenar is fatally poisoned when he repairs the machinery to save his sister. In ''Myst'', Sirrus was played by Robyn Miller, and Achenar by his brother Rand; in ''Revelation'', the brothers are played by Brian Wrench and Guy Sprung, respectively.{{cn|date=May 2026}}

====Yeesha==== Yeesha is the only daughter of Atrus and Catherine. She is briefly mentioned in the novel ''Myst: The Book of D'ni'', and is first seen as an infant in ''Exile''. Yeesha is seen by her parents as a correction to the mistakes they made with their wayward sons. Her parents teach her D'ni and the Art. In ''Revelation'', her brother Sirrus attempts to use Yeesha in a plan to learn the Art and kill his parents, but Yeesha is freed by the Stranger and Achenar.{{cn|date=May 2026}}

An adult Yeesha appears in ''Uru: Ages Beyond Myst''<ref name="cgw-review">{{cite magazine|last=Cook|first=Denise|date=August 2004|title=Uru: Ages Beyond Myst; Look before you leap into this puzzler|magazine=Computer Gaming World|volume=1|issue=235|pages=62}}</ref> and is one of two main characters in ''End of Ages'', where she tries to persuade the player to help free an enslaved race known as the Bahro by unlocking a powerful Tablet.<ref>'''Yeesha''': The Tablet has responded to you. It will be your burden [...] many have taken this Tablet, and they have tried not to let go. [...] I have held it… tasted its sweetness. But I can hold it no longer. First, collect what’s been scattered, and then the Tablet will be released. Then, you will hold it.—{{cite video game|title=Myst V: End of Ages |developer= Cyan Worlds|publisher=Ubisoft |level=K'veer }}</ref> Over the course of her life, Yeesha takes on many roles, eventually assuming the aspect of a prophesied D'ni savior-figure known as "The Grower". Baby Yeesha is played by ''Exile'' game producer Greg Uhler's daughter. Juliette Gosselin plays a young Yeesha in ''Revelation'' and Rengin Altay voices the character as an adult in ''Uru'' and ''End of Ages''.{{cn|date=May 2026}}

====Gehn==== Gehn is the father of Atrus, and the antagonist of ''Riven''. Gehn is born to Master Aitrus of the Guild of Surveyors (for whom his son is named) and his human wife, Anna (or Ti'ana, as she is known in D'ni), shortly before the downfall of the D'ni civilization.<ref name="book of tiana">{{cite book|last1=Wingrove|first1=David|first2=Rand |last2=Miller|year=1996|title=Myst: The Book of Ti'ana|publisher=Hyperion Books|isbn=978-0786889204|url=https://archive.org/details/mystbookoftiana00mill_0}}</ref> Believing that he creates worlds by writing linking books, Gehn considers himself a god and dedicates his life to rebuilding the fallen D'ni empire. Realizing his madness, Atrus turns against his father; with the help of Catherine, he traps Gehn on the Age of Riven, "a prison of my own creation" as Gehn later relates it, for nearly thirty years.<ref name="book of atrus"/>

Gehn's inability to grasp the fine aspects of the Art of Writing, leading him to copy or alter sentences from existing books rather than writing original passages, results in his Ages being unstable.<ref>'''Atrus''': They held for more than thirty years, but the corrections I made to Riven have finally failed — the island has resumed the familiar pattern of decay that is the hallmark of my father’s work. [...] I did not create the Age of Riven; unlike my father, I have never presumed to have such power, and yet, the future of all those who live there has fallen into my hands. So far, I’ve managed to read the page before it turns; the island continues to appear stable, and I would like to believe that I have saved a dying world...—{{cite video game|title=Riven |developer= Cyan Worlds|publisher=Ubisoft |level=K'veer }}</ref> Gehn tends to be unimaginative: besides having no talent for the Art, he merely numbers his Ages rather than naming them (Riven is his "Fifth Age", for instance), and as long as it will give him what he seeks, prefers to smash his way through D'ni puzzle locks made with delicate materials rather than figure them out.{{cn|date=May 2026}}

When Catherine is stranded on Riven, Atrus must send the Stranger to rescue her, as he is busy making changes to the Age to delay its collapse.<ref>'''Atrus''': Thank God you've returned... I need your help [...] There is a great deal of history you must know, but I'm afraid I must continue writing.—{{cite video game|title=Riven |developer= Cyan Worlds|publisher=Ubisoft |level=K'veer }}</ref> The Stranger tricks Gehn into a special prison book created by Atrus, and Gehn's oppressed subjects are evacuated from Riven before the Age of Riven closes forever. Gehn is portrayed by John Keston.{{cn|date=May 2026}}

====Saavedro==== Saavedro is the antagonist of ''Exile''. Depicted as a vengeful and broken man, Saavedro is an inhabitant of the Age of Narayan, one of the Ages chosen by Atrus to try to teach his sons Sirrus and Achenar about the Art of writing books linking to other worlds. Saavedro agrees to help tutor Atrus' sons, but is shocked when the brothers instigate a destructive rebellion and abandon the Age to be destroyed from within.<ref>'''Saavedro:''' This Atrus stayed with us for months. I taught him how to trim the delicate Lattice roots. How to splice old and new growths together so the walls of our houses will grow strong. I tell him the traditions of the Weave. How by using the spores to support the growing branches, we keep the Lattice Tree alive. He wants to learn everything I know. He wants Narayan to survive. [...] This is what I remember. This is why I said he could send me his sons. Sirrus. And. Achenar. The walls run red with steam and strangling branches. I see their bloated faces laughing at everything. I remember how they lied. I remember what they did. The Lattice Roots were black from too much overgrowth. Puffer spores floated up in the hot steam and burst. No one was there to guide the spores to the branches. No one was waiting to perform the ritual Weaves. The fighting had torn my people apart. They didn’t care. They wanted Narayan to die.—{{cite video game|title=Myst III: Exile |developer=Presto|publisher=Ubisoft |level=J'nanin}}</ref> When Saavedro pursues Sirrus and Achenar to the Age of J'nanin, he is assaulted and left for dead. Trapped on J'nanin and believing Narayan destroyed and his family to be dead, Saavedro's mental health deteriorates during his years of captivity. When Saavedro is unexpectedly freed and travels to Tomahna in hope of finding the brothers, he steals the linking book for Releeshahn in a plan to lure Atrus to Narayan and exact revenge.<ref name="gamespot-m3rev">{{cite web|first=Osborne|last=Scott|date=May 1, 2001|url=http://www.gamespot.com/pc/adventure/myst3exile/review.html|title=''Myst III: Exile'' Review|website=GameSpot|access-date=November 8, 2008|archive-date=February 4, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120204174628/http://www.gamespot.com/myst-iii-exile/reviews/myst-iii-exile-review-2715657/|url-status=live}}</ref> Once on Narayan, Saavedro discovers that his people have not been destroyed. Cornered by the Stranger, Saavedro gives up the Releeshahn book. In the game's optimal ending, the player enables Saavedro to peacefully return to Narayan, before taking Releeshahn back to Atrus. Saavedro is portrayed by veteran actor Brad Dourif, who accepted the role of Saavedro because he was a ''Myst'' fan.<ref name="gamespy-dourif interview">{{cite web|first=Semel|last=Paul|date=June 1, 2001|url=http://archive.gamespy.com/interviews/june01/dourif/|title=''Myst''-ery Man|publisher=GameSpy|access-date=June 5, 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081203232320/http://archive.gamespy.com/interviews/june01/dourif/|archive-date=December 3, 2008}}</ref> Dourif said that his role for the game was much more difficult than working on movie sets, as he could not see the player he was addressing or interact with the game environment.<ref name="gamespy-dourif interview"/>

====Esher==== Esher is a D'ni who survived the downfall of his civilization, and the antagonist of ''End of Ages''. Throughout the game he appears to the player, offering advice and background on different Ages. Esher warns the player not to trust Yeesha, suggesting she has tasked the player with unlocking a powerful Tablet in order to steal its power for herself.<ref name="apple-full circle">{{cite web|first=Cook|last=Brad|date=October 1, 2005|url=https://www.apple.com/games/articles/2005/10/myst5/|title=The Story of the D'ni Comes Full Circle|website=Apple, Inc|access-date=June 12, 2008|archive-date=January 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210108063500/https://www.apple.com/search?q=games|url-status=live}}</ref> If the player gives Esher the tablet instead in one of the bad endings of the game, Esher proclaims that he wishes to use the Tablet to control a powerful race of creatures called Bahro for his own purposes, and strands the player on the Age of Myst. The best ending the player can choose results in Esher being handed over to the liberated Bahro to pay for his crimes. Esher is voiced, and portrayed (in the form of video-recorded facial texture-mapping), by David Ogden Stiers, who received acclaim for his performance.{{cn|date=May 2026}}

==Games== {| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;" |- style="text-align: center;" ! rowspan="2" | Game |- ! | Release year ! | Developer ! | Platforms |- | colspan="5" style="background:#c5f3c6;"| |- style="background:#f2f2f2; text-align:center;" | '''''Myst''''' | 1993 | Cyan | 3DO, AmigaOS, CD-i, iOS, Jaguar CD, Mac, Nintendo DS, Nintendo 3DS, PlayStation, PSP, Saturn, Windows, Windows Mobile, Android |- | colspan="5" style="border:none; vertical-align:top;"|The first game in the ''Myst'' series was the eponymous ''Myst'', developed by Cyan, Inc. and Broderbund. Originally released in 1993 for Macintosh and PC platforms, the game was later ported or remade for the Saturn, Windows, Jaguar CD, 3DO, CD-i, PlayStation, AmigaOS, PSP, Nintendo DS, Nintendo 3DS and iPhone. In ''Myst'', players travel across Ages using a point-and-click interface, using the mouse to interact with puzzle objects such as switches or gears.<ref>{{cite book|title=Myst User Manual|publisher=Broderbund|author=Cyan, Inc|year=1993|edition=Windows version|pages=5–6|series=Manipulating Objects}}</ref> |- style="background:#f2f2f2; text-align:center;" | colspan="5" style="background:#ddf3c5;"| |- style="background:#f2f2f2; text-align:center;" | '''''Riven''''' | 1997 | Cyan | Mac OS, PlayStation, Saturn, Windows, iOS, Android |- | colspan="5" style="border:none; vertical-align:top;"|Flush with the success of ''Myst'', Cyan moved to a new office and began work on ''Riven'', which was released in 1997. Like ''Myst'', ''Riven'' was a commercial and critical success, selling more than 4.5 million units.<ref name="la times-game design" /> |- style="background:#f2f2f2; text-align:center;" | colspan="5" style="background:#f3e1c5;"| |- style="background:#f2f2f2; text-align:center;" | '''''Myst III: Exile''''' | 2001 | Presto Studios | Mac OS, Mac OS X, PlayStation 2, Windows, Xbox |- | colspan="5" style="border:none; vertical-align:top;"|The third game of the series, ''Myst III: Exile'', was developed by Presto Studios and published by Ubisoft in 2001. ''Exile'' continued with the frame-based method of player movement, but used a game engine to allow a 360-degree field of view from any point.<ref name="manual-4">{{cite book|title=Myst III: Exile - User's Manual|publisher=Ubisoft|author=Presto Studios|year=2001|edition=PC/Mac|page=4|series=Playing the Game}}</ref> ''Exile'' was a commercial success (though not to the extent of ''Myst'' or ''Riven''),<ref name="hc-review">{{cite news|author=Odelius, Dwight|date=January 8, 2004|title=Game is magical and immersive - and nonviolent|work=Houston Chronicle|page=3}}</ref> selling millions of units. |- style="background:#f2f2f2; text-align:center;" | colspan="5" style="background:#ecc5f3;"| |- style="background:#f2f2f2; text-align:center;" | '''''Uru: Ages Beyond Myst''''' | 2003 | Cyan Worlds | Windows |- | colspan="5" style="border:none; vertical-align:top;"|''Uru: Ages Beyond Myst'' was a departure from the previous games in the series, featuring graphics rendered in real time and a third-person camera. Through avatar customization, players could create their own character to solve puzzles and uncover story information.<ref name="ign-review1">{{cite web|author=Krause, Staci|date=December 4, 2003|url=http://pc.ign.com/articles/444/444432p1.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031217185802/http://pc.ign.com/articles/444/444432p1.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 17, 2003|title=Uru: Ages Beyond Myst Review (page 1)|publisher=IGN|access-date=October 29, 2008}}</ref> ''Uru'' was to ship with a massively multiplayer online portion, ''Uru Live'', but the initial release was canceled shortly before the single-player aspect was released. ''Uru Live'' was rereleased in several incarnations, being canceled each time. Cyan Worlds currently operates the servers for latest iteration of the MMO, ''MO:ULagain'', which is free to play. The running costs are covered through player donations.

Though initially well-received, ''Uru'' was considered a financial disappointment. Its expansion packs and originality earned the title a cult following.<ref>{{cite web|author=Jenkins, David|date=September 5, 2005|url=http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=6416|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120731190811/http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=6416|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 31, 2012|title=Report: Cyan Worlds Slims To 'Skeleton Crew'|publisher=Gamasutra|access-date=November 4, 2008}}</ref>

In 2011, Cyan Worlds and OpenUru.org announced the release of Myst Online's client and 3ds Max plugin under the GNU GPL v3 license.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://wiki.openuru.org/index.php?title=CyanWorlds.com_Engine|title=CyanWorlds.com Engine - OpenUru|website=wiki.openuru.org|access-date=2016-09-11}}</ref> |- style="background:#f2f2f2; text-align:center;" | colspan="5" style="background:#c5cdf3;"| |- style="background:#f2f2f2; text-align:center;" | '''''Myst IV: Revelation''''' | 2004 | Ubisoft | Mac OS X, Windows, Xbox |- | colspan="5" style="border:none; vertical-align:top;"|''Myst IV: Revelation'' was produced entirely by Ubisoft, and marked a return to the prerendered graphics of ''Exile''.<ref>{{cite web|author=Adams, Dan|date=May 12, 2004|url=http://pc.ign.com/articles/513/513777p1.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040803232703/http://pc.ign.com/articles/513/513777p1.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=August 3, 2004|title=E3 2004: Myst IV: Revelations|publisher=IGN|access-date=July 2, 2008}}</ref> Since the studio had little experience with such games, Ubisoft hired new employees who had experience in the field.<ref name="Gamasutra">{{cite web |url= http://www.gamasutra.com/features/20050421/lord_pfv.htm|archive-url= https://archive.today/20130123183442/http://www.gamasutra.com/features/20050421/lord_pfv.htm|url-status= dead|archive-date= January 23, 2013|title= Postmortem: Myst IV: Revelation|access-date=September 14, 2007 |author= Lord, Geneviève|date=April 21, 2005 |publisher=Gamasutra}}</ref> The game was seen as an improvement over ''Uru'',<ref name="cvg-myst IV">{{cite web|author= Staff|date=November 19, 2004 | url=http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=112089|title=PC Reviews: Myst IV Revelation|work=Computer and Video Games|access-date=June 11, 2008}}</ref><ref name="1UP-review">{{cite web|author=Parish, Jeremy|date=October 5, 2004|url=http://www.1up.com/do/reviewPage?cId=3135149&p=1|title=Reviews: Myst IV: Revelation - Finally, it's cool to like Myst again|publisher=1UP.com|access-date=June 19, 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060614200859/http://www.1up.com/do/reviewPage?cId=3135149|archive-date=June 14, 2006|df=mdy-all}}</ref> and was favorably received upon release. |- style="background:#f2f2f2; text-align:center;" | colspan="5" style="background:#9cb6f0;"| |- style="background:#f2f2f2; text-align:center;" | '''''Myst V: End of Ages''''' | 2005 | Cyan Worlds | Windows, Mac OS X |- | colspan="5" style="border:none; vertical-align:top;"|Cyan returned to develop ''Myst V: End of Ages'', billed as the final game in the series.<ref name="spokes-announce">{{cite news|author=Sowa, Tom|date=January 12, 2005|title=Cyan Worlds ends one story, ponders new one|work=The Spokesman-Review|page=A8}}</ref> As with ''Uru'', ''End of Ages'' featured graphics rendered in real time, allowing uninhibited player movement. Three control methods were offered to players, similar to those respectively used in ''Myst'', ''Exile'' and ''Uru''.<ref>{{cite web|author=Chu, Karen|date=September 25, 2005|url=http://www.1up.com/do/reviewPage?cId=3144097&did=1|title=Myst V: End of Ages (PC)|publisher=1UP.com|access-date=July 1, 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100105174204/http://www.1up.com/do/reviewPage?cId=3144097&did=1|archive-date=January 5, 2010|df=mdy-all}}</ref> The game was judged a fitting end to the series, though a lack of financial backing for new, non-''Myst'' projects nearly caused Cyan to shut down before the release of the game.<ref name="gamesbiz-rehire">{{cite web|author=Fahey, Rob|date=September 30, 2005|url=http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/myst-developer-cyan-worlds-is-back-from-the-brink| title=Myst developer Cyan Worlds is back from the brink |publisher=GamesIndustry.biz|access-date=June 17, 2008}}</ref> |}

==Development== thumb|right|Rand (left) and Robyn Miller in 2014|alt=Two men with glasses seated on a stage, with microphones. One is talking and gesturing, and the other is looking at him. ''Myst'' was originally conceptualized by brothers Rand and Robyn Miller. The Millers had created fictional worlds and stories as young children, influenced by the works of authors such as J. R. R. Tolkien, Robert A. Heinlein, and Isaac Asimov.<ref name="oregonian-book by myst">{{cite news| author=Gardner, Fran|date=November 7, 1995| title=Book by Myst Brothers Unveils Atrus' world before the game|work=The Oregonian|page=E1}}</ref> They formed a video game company together called Cyan, Inc.; their first game, called ''The Manhole'', won the Software Publishers Association award in 1988 for best use of the digital medium. Cyan produced other games, aimed at children; the Millers eventually decided their next project would be made for adults.<ref name="wired-guerillas">{{cite magazine|author=Carroll, John|date=August 1994|url=https://www.wired.com/wired/archive/2.08/myst_pr.html|title=Guerrillas in the Myst|magazine=Wired|volume=2|issue=8}}</ref>

The brothers spent months designing the Ages comprising the game,<ref name="myst-making of myst">{{cite video|people=Miller, Rand and Robyn; Cyan|date=1993|title=The Making of Myst| publisher=Cyan/Broderbund|medium=CR-RPM}}</ref> which were influenced by earlier whimsical "worlds" Cyan had made for children's games.<ref name="through the myst">{{cite web|author=Stern, Gloria|date=August 23, 1994|url=http://www2.worldvillage.com/wv/gamezone/html/reviews/myst.htm|title=Through the Myst|publisher=WorldVillage.com|access-date=May 2, 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090217214159/http://www2.worldvillage.com/wv/gamezone/html/reviews/myst.htm|archive-date=February 17, 2009|df=mdy-all}}</ref> The game's name, as well as the overall solitary and mysterious atmosphere of the island, was inspired by the book ''The Mysterious Island'' by Jules Verne.<ref name="wired-guerillas"/> Robyn's unfinished novel, ''Dunnyhut'', influenced aspects of ''Myst''{{'}}s story,<ref name="newsday-mysty for me"/> which was developed bit by bit as the brothers conceptualized the various worlds.<ref name="newsday-mysty for me">{{cite news|author=Lovece, Frank|date=November 26, 1995|title=Read 'Myst'y for Me|work=Newsday|page=28}}</ref> As development progressed, the Millers realized that they would need to have even more story and history than would be revealed in the game itself.<ref name="through the myst"/> Realizing that fans would enjoy getting a deeper look at the story not in the games, the Millers produced a rough draft of what would become a novel, ''Myst: The Book of Atrus''.<ref name="newsday-mysty for me"/>

After the enormous response to ''Myst'', work quickly began on the next ''Myst'' game. Cyan moved from their garage to a new office and hired additional programmers, designers, and artists.<ref name="making of riven">{{cite video|people=Miller Bros., Cyan, &c|date=1997|title=The Making of Riven: The Sequel to Myst| publisher=Cyan/Broderbund| medium=CD-ROM}}</ref> The game was to ship in late 1996, but the release was pushed back a year.<ref name="driven">{{cite magazine|author=Carroll, John|date=September 1997|url=https://www.wired.com/wired/archive/5.09/riven.html|title=(D)Riven|magazine=Wired|issue=9|volume=5|pages=1–15}}</ref> Development costs were between $5 and $10 million, many times ''Myst''{{'}}s budget.<ref>{{cite journal|author=Takashi, Dean|date=August 26, 1997|title=Can Myst's Sequel Live Up to Expectations?|journal=The Wall Street Journal}}</ref> After the release of ''Riven'', Robyn Miller left the company to pursue other projects, while Rand stayed behind to work on a ''Myst'' franchise.<ref name="salon-partnership is riven">{{cite web|author=Lillington, Karen |date=March 2, 1998 |url=http://archive.salon.com/21st/feature/1998/03/02feature.html |title='Myst' partnership is riven |work=Salon |access-date=October 10, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081206011454/http://archive.salon.com/21st/feature/1998/03/02feature.html |archive-date=December 6, 2008 }}</ref> [[File:D'ni Letters Vs Numerals.svg|thumb|left|Richard Watson developed a language and numerical symbols for the D'ni culture.]] While Rand Miller stated Cyan would not make another sequel to ''Myst'', Mattel (then the owner of the ''Myst'' franchise) offered the task of developing a sequel to several video game companies who created detailed story proposals and technology demonstrations.<ref name="game developer-presto studio">{{cite journal|author=Uhler, Greg|date=October 2001|title=Presto Studios' Myst III: Exile|journal=Game Developer|volume=8|issue=10|pages=40–47}}</ref> Presto Studios, makers of the ''Journeyman Project'' adventure games, was hired to develop ''Myst III''. Presto spent millions developing the game and used the studio's entire staff to complete the project, which took two and a half years to develop.<ref name="game developer-presto studio"/> Soon after ''Myst III: Exile'' was released, Presto was shut down,<ref name="developer-gone">{{cite journal|author=Saladino, Michael|date=December 2002|title=And presto... it's gone!|journal=Game Developer|volume=9|issue=12|pages=44–49}}</ref> and ''Exile'' publisher Ubisoft developed the sequel, ''Myst IV: Revelation'', internally.<ref>{{cite web|author=Castro, Juan|date=April 5, 2004|url=http://pc.ign.com/articles/504/504216p1.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040408191754/http://pc.ign.com/articles/504/504216p1.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 8, 2004|title= Myst IV Announced|publisher=IGN|access-date=June 12, 2008}}</ref> Meanwhile, Cyan produced the spinoff title ''Uru: Ages Beyond Myst'', which included an aborted multiplayer component allowing players to cooperatively solve puzzles.{{cn|date=May 2026}}

Cyan returned to produce what was billed as the final game in the series,<ref name="spokes-announce"/> discarding live action sequences embedded in prerendered graphics for a world rendered in real time. The actors' faces were turned into textures and mapped onto digital characters, with the actor's actions synchronized by motion capture. Shortly before release, Cyan closed down development,<ref>{{cite web|author=Thorson, Thor|date=September 6, 2005|url=http://www.gamespot.com/pc/adventure/mystvendofages/news.html?sid=6132599|title=Cyan Worlds slashes staff, suspends development|publisher=GameSpot|access-date=June 21, 2008}}</ref> although this did not impact the release of the game; the company was able to rehire its employees a few weeks later, and continued to work on non-''Myst'' projects<ref name="spokes-announce"/> and an attempted resurrection of ''Uru''{{'}}s multiplayer component, ''Myst Online''. Servers paid for by donation were set up in 2010, and the game went open-source in 2011.{{cn|date=May 2026}}

Among the detailed elements of the ''Myst'' universe Cyan created was the language and culture of the D'ni. The civilization's numbers and writing first appeared in ''Riven'', and were important to solving some of the game's puzzles.<ref name="wallstreet-journal">{{cite news|author=Ficara, Ken|date=October 31, 1997|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB878319987572748000?mod=googlewsj|title=Breathtaking Sequel to 'Myst' Lacks Its Sense of Exploration|work=The Wall Street Journal|access-date=December 8, 2007}}</ref> The D'ni language was the language presented in various games and novels of the ''Myst'' franchise, created by Richard A. Watson. Several online D'ni dictionaries have been developed as part of the ongoing fan-based culture associated with the game.<ref name="Pearce">{{cite journal | last = Pearce | first = Celia | title = Productive Play: Game Culture From the Bottom Up | journal = Games and Culture | year = 2006 | volume = 1 | issue = 17 | doi = 10.1177/1555412005281418 | page = 17| s2cid = 16084255 }}</ref>

==Music==  The music for each game in the ''Myst'' series has fallen to various composers. Originally, the Millers believed that any music or sound besides ambient noise would distract the player from the game and ruin the sense of reality; ''Myst'', therefore, was to have no music at all. A sound test eventually persuaded the developers that music heightened the sense of immersion rather than lessening it, and as such Robyn Miller composed 40 minutes of synthesized music for the game.<ref name="myst-making of myst"/> He would also produce the music for ''Riven'', which featured leitmotifs for each of the main characters. Virgin Records bought the rights to the music and produced the soundtracks,<ref name="denver post-sound">{{cite news|author=Thomas, David|date=May 8, 1998|title=Mastermind of Myst, Riven also has a talent for music|work=The Denver Post}}</ref> which were released in 1998.{{cn|date=May 2026}}

For ''Myst III: Exile'' and ''Myst IV: Revelation'', composer Jack Wall created the music, developing a more active musical style different from Miller's ambient themes. Wall looked at the increasing complexity of games as an opportunity to give players a soundtrack with as much force as a movie score,<ref name="gamasutra-music for myst">{{cite web|author=Wall, Jack|date=January 11, 2002|url=http://www.gamasutra.com/features/20020110/wall_01.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020114205348/http://www.gamasutra.com/features/20020110/wall_01.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 14, 2002|title=Music for Myst III: Exile - The Evolution of a Videogame Soundtrack (page 1)|publisher=Gamasutra|access-date=June 2, 2008|author-link=Jack Wall (composer)}}</ref> and tried to create a distinctive sound that was still recognizable as ''Myst'' music.<ref name="la times-game design">{{cite news|author=Pham, Alex|date=May 17, 2001|title=Game Design; Adding Texture, Detail to Miller Brothers' Legacy|work=Los Angeles Times|page=T4}}</ref> In ''Revelation'', Wall adapted the themes for the recurring characters of ''Myst'',<ref name="ja-interview wall">{{cite web|author=Miller, Jennifer |url=http://www.justadventure.com/Interviews/JackWall/JackWall.shtm |title=Interview with Jack Wall - Myst IV Composer |publisher=Just Adventure |access-date=June 12, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080514080038/http://justadventure.com/Interviews/JackWall/JackWall.shtm |archive-date=May 14, 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and collaborated with Peter Gabriel, who provided a song to the game as well as voicework.<ref name="bw-gabriel">{{cite news|author=Ubisoft|date=August 22, 2004|title=Myst IV Revelation Features Original Peter Gabriel Song and Voice Talent|publisher=Business Wire}}</ref>

The music for ''Uru: Ages Beyond Myst'' and ''Myst V: End of Ages'' was composed by Tim Larkin, who had gotten involved in the series doing sound design for ''Riven''.<ref name="justadventure-interview">{{cite web|author=Miller, Jennifer |url=http://www.justadventure.com/Interviews/UruTimLarkin/UruTimLarkin.shtm |title=Interview with Tim Larkin |publisher=Just Adventure |access-date=October 19, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080514080015/http://justadventure.com/Interviews/UruTimLarkin/UruTimLarkin.shtm |archive-date=May 14, 2008 }}</ref> Larkin stepped away from his background as a jazz composer and musician to create music with less structure and without a definite beginning and end.<ref name="apple-tim larkin3">{{cite web|author=Gutoff, Bija|url=https://www.apple.com/pro/profiles/larkin/index3.html|title=Tim Larkin: Composing Myst's Musical World (page 3)|publisher=Apple, Inc|access-date=September 12, 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081217035209/https://www.apple.com/pro/profiles/larkin/index3.html|archive-date=December 17, 2008|df=mdy-all}}</ref> Larkin created different music depending on the location, giving each setting and Age a distinctive tone.<ref name="justadventure-interview"/> For ''End of Ages'', Larkin was unable to afford a full orchestra to perform his score, so he combined individual instrumentation with an array of synthesizers.<ref name="m4g-interview1">{{cite web|author=Staff|date=September 1, 2005|url=http://www.music4games.net/Features_Display.aspx?id=14|title=Interview with Myst V audio director and composer Tim Larkin|publisher=Music4Games|access-date=November 1, 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090307033640/http://www.music4games.net/Features_Display.aspx?id=14|archive-date=March 7, 2009|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

==Adaptations== Rand and Robyn Miller both wanted to develop ''Myst''{{'}}s back story into novels. After the success of ''Myst'', publisher Hyperion signed a three-book, US$1 million deal with the brothers. David Wingrove worked from the Miller brothers' story outlines. The three books — ''Myst: The Book of Atrus'', ''Myst: The Book of Ti'ana'', and ''Myst: The Book of D'ni'' — were released in 1995, 1996, and 1997, respectively.<ref name="apple-preview2"/> The books were later packaged together as ''The Myst Reader''. A fourth novel, ''Myst: The Book of Marrim'', was planned but has not surfaced.{{cn|date=May 2026}}

Cyan partnered with Dark Horse Comics in 1993 to release a four-part comic series called ''Myst: The Book of Black Ships''. The series would have focused on Atrus and his young sons, taking place before the events of ''Myst''. The first issue was released on September 3, 1997,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.darkhorse.com/Comics/96-709/Myst-The-Book-of-Black-Ships-1-of-4|title=Profiles: Myst: The Book of Black Ships #1 (of 4)|publisher=Dark Horse Comics|access-date=June 29, 2008}}</ref> but further books were canceled after Cyan decided the first issue did not live up to expectations.<ref name="apple-preview2">{{cite web|author=Cook, Brad |date=April 1, 2001 |url=https://www.apple.com/games/articles/2001/04/myst3/index2.html |title=The Lost Ages: Myst 3 Revealed (page 2) |publisher=Apple, Inc |access-date=June 3, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080320060824/http://www.apple.com/games/articles/2001/04/myst3/index2.html |archive-date=March 20, 2008 }}</ref> Another comic, ''Myst #0: Passages'', was later released online.<ref name="apple-preview2"/>

Disney approached Cyan Worlds about constructing an attraction inspired by ''Myst'' on the dormant Discovery Island in Florida's Walt Disney World. Rand Miller was invited to tour the island, which he felt was perfect for the ''Myst'' setting, but the project eventually fell apart.<ref name="avclub sept2016 interview">{{cite web|url=https://www.avclub.com/article/myst-creator-rand-miller-his-favorite-puzzle-every-242061 |title=Myst creator Rand Miller on his favorite puzzle that everybody hates |first=William |last=Hughes |date=September 10, 2016 |access-date=September 13, 2016 |work=The A.V. Club |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160913014628/http://www.avclub.com/article/myst-creator-rand-miller-his-favorite-puzzle-every-242061 |archive-date=September 13, 2016 }}</ref>

Various proposals for films and television series based on the franchise were planned or rumored but never came to fruition. They include: * The Sci Fi Channel announced a TV miniseries in 2002,<ref>{{cite news|author=NBC Universal|date=April 2, 2002|title=SCI FI Channel Announces Ambitious New Slate of Original Movies and Miniseries|publisher=Sci Fi Channel|url=http://www.sftv.org/sftv/scifi2002.html|author-link=NBC Universal}}</ref> but it never materialized. According to Rand Miller, none of the various proposals met Cyan's approval, or were too formulaic or silly.<ref>{{cite news|author=Sowa, Tom|date=May 10, 2008|url=http://www.spokesmanreview.com/blogs/txt/archive/?postID=5293|title=Avoiding Hollywood, Cyan Worlds allows two fans to develop a Myst movie|work=The Spokesman-Review|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101216035310/http://www.spokesmanreview.com/blogs/txt/archive/?postID=5293 |archive-date=16 December 2010 |access-date=June 20, 2018}}</ref> *Independent filmmakers Patrick McIntire and Adrian Vanderbosch wanted to produce a motion picture based on the story revealed in the ''Myst'' novels and in 2006 sent a DVD proposal to Cyan<ref>{{cite web|author=Crigger, Lara|url=http://www.1up.com/do/feature?cId=3167885|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120715223039/http://www.1up.com/do/feature?cId=3167885|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 15, 2012|title='Myst' Opportunity|publisher=1UP.com|access-date=November 15, 2008}}</ref> The film was set to be based on the novel ''Myst: The Book of Ti'ana'',<ref>{{cite press release | url=http://mystmovie.com/defining-cyans-involvement/ | title=Defining Cyan's Involvement| publisher=Mysteria Film Group | date=February 1, 2008 | access-date=February 2, 2008}}</ref> but no longer appears to be in production.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://gameshelf.jmac.org/2012/07/myst-movie-drama/ | title=Myst Movie Drama| publisher=The Gameshelf | date=May 7, 2013 | access-date=May 7, 2013}}</ref> * In 2014, Legendary Entertainment announced that it was developing a television series based on ''Myst'', but nothing came of it.<ref>{{Cite web | url = https://variety.com/2014/biz/games/myst-series-in-development-at-legendary-1201322980/ | title = Series Based on 'Myst' Games in Development at Legendary | first = Marc | last = Graser | date = October 7, 2014 | access-date = October 7, 2014 | work = Variety }}</ref>

In May 2015, ''Unwritten: Adventures in the Ages of MYST and Beyond'' was published by Inkworks Productions as an authorized,<ref>{{Cite web | url = https://cyan.com/cyan-ventures-acquires-unwritten-adventures-in-the-ages-of-myst-and-beyond/ | title = Cyan Ventures acquires Unwritten: Adventures in the Ages of Myst and Beyond | date = November 26, 2019 | access-date = September 3, 2020 | work = Cyan Worlds }}</ref> Myst-based pencil-and-paper role-playing game. Unwritten was built on the popular Fate Core RPG system with a focus on investigation and non-violent adventure. Two small supplements exist as background for game-players: The D'Ni Primer explaining the history of the D'Ni, and The Myst Saga giving a chronology of the Myst series.{{cn|date=May 2026}}

In 2016, Cyan Worlds released the Kickstarter-backed ''Obduction''. While ''Obduction'' is not narratively linked to ''Myst'', the game was considered by Rand Miller to be a spiritual successor to the ''Myst'' series, borrowing several of its themes and puzzle-design approaches, as well as incorporating full-motion video in homage to ''Myst''. Robyn, who had left Cyan before this point, collaborated to help score the game and take on the role of one of the in-game characters.<ref name="pcw preview">{{cite web | url = http://www.pcworld.com/article/2690711/exclusive-preview-this-is-obduction-cyans-spiritual-successor-to-myst.html | title= Exclusive preview: This is 'Obduction,' Cyan's spiritual successor to 'Myst' | first = Hayman |last = Dingman | date = October 4, 2014 | access-date = March 4, 2016 | work = PC World }}</ref>

In anticipation of the first game's 25th anniversary in September 2018, Cyan Worlds secured the necessary rights to release all of the ''Myst'' games, updated for modern Windows systems with assistance of GOG.com to be released as a collected physical collectors edition.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.pcgamer.com/all-the-myst-games-are-being-updated-to-mark-the-series-25th-anniversary/ | title = Cyan is releasing updated versions of all the Myst games to mark series' 25th anniversary | first = Samuel | last = Horti | date = March 17, 2018 | access-date = March 17, 2018 | work = PC Gamer }}</ref> Further, Cyan launched a Kickstarter in April 2018 to provide digital copies of the seven games as well as backer rewards including a simulated Linking Book, using an LCD screen inserted into a book binding.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.polygon.com/2018/4/9/17216128/myst-kickstarter-linking-book-artwork-anniversary-collection | title = Myst Kickstarter offers $1,000 tier that's actually worth it | first = Ben | last = Kuchera | date = April 9, 2018 | access-date = April 9, 2018 | work = Polygon }}</ref> The Kickstarter was successfully funded, bringing in {{USD|2.8 million}} on a {{USD|250,000}} target goal.<ref name="pcgamer june2018">{{cite web | url = https://www.pcgamer.com/myst-3-and-4-finally-come-to-gog-cyan-is-planning-new-games-in-the-series/ | title = Myst 3 and 4 finally come to GOG, Cyan is planning new games in the series | first = Andy | last = Chalk | date = June 29, 2018 | access-date = June 29, 2018 | work = PC Gamer }}</ref>

On June 26, 2019, Village Roadshow Entertainment Group announced that they have acquired the rights to the franchise and plans to expand its mythology to develop a multi-platform universe that includes movies and TV series. They will work alongside Miller and his brother Ryan as well as Isaac Testerman and Yale Rice of Delve Media.<ref>{{cite news|title=Village Roadshow Developing 'Myst' Video Game Into Multi-Platform Film & TV Universe|url=https://deadline.com/2019/06/myst-videogame-movie-and-tv-rights-village-roadshow-1202638253/|access-date=June 27, 2019|newspaper=Deadline|date=June 26, 2019}}</ref> <!-- The television streaming service Hulu had obtained the rights to create a television series around ''Myst'' in May 2015. The series would explore the origin of the main island featured in ''Myst''. The Hulu series was to be produced by Legendary Television, which had acquired the television rights from Cyan for the series in late 2014. The show was to have been produced by Matt Tolmach and written by Evan Daugherty.<ref>{{cite web| author=Andreeva, Nellie | url = https://deadline.com/2015/05/myst-tv-series-video-game-hulu-legendary-matt-tolmach-1201421271/ | title = Hulu Lands 'Myst' Drama From Legendary TV & Matt Tolmach Based On Video Game | website = Deadline Hollywood | date =May 6, 2015 | access-date =May 6, 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160221062058/http://deadline.com/2015/05/myst-tv-series-video-game-hulu-legendary-matt-tolmach-1201421271 |archive-date=February 21, 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> Rand Miller stated in a September 2016 interview that with the show, "we're farther along now than we've been in a long time", but timelines remain uncertain.<ref name="avclub sept2016 interview">{{cite web|url=https://www.avclub.com/article/myst-creator-rand-miller-his-favorite-puzzle-every-242061 |title=Myst creator Rand Miller on his favorite puzzle that everybody hates |first=William |last=Hughes |date=September 10, 2016 |access-date=September 13, 2016 |work=The A.V. Club |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160913014628/http://www.avclub.com/article/myst-creator-rand-miller-his-favorite-puzzle-every-242061 |archive-date=September 13, 2016 }}</ref>

In June 2019, Village Roadshow Pictures announced they had acquired the rights to make ''Myst'' films, television programs, and other programming, leaving the fate of the Legendary Television vehicle in doubt.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.theverge.com/2019/6/26/18760000/myst-game-tv-series-film-village-roadshow | title = The Myst TV series is dead; long live the Myst TV series | first= Sean | last =Hollister | date = June 26, 2019 | access-date = June 26, 2019 | work = The Verge }}</ref> Ashley Edward Miller was announced as the showrunner and writer for the show's pilot.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://deadline.com/2020/04/village-roadshow-ashley-edward-miller-myst-video-game-1202909392/ | title = Village Roadshow Taps 'X-Men: First Class' Writer Ashley Edward Miller To Adapt Video Game 'Myst' For Television | first= Peter | last = White | date = April 15, 2020 | access-date = April 15, 2020 | work = Deadline Hollywood }}</ref> -->

==Reception and impact== {| class="wikitable" style="font-size:90%;float:right;margin-left: 1em;" |+ Aggregate review scores |- !Game !Metacritic<ref name="metacritic-totals">[https://www.metacritic.com/game/riven-the-sequel-to-myst/critic-reviews/?platform=pc ''Riven''], [https://www.metacritic.com/game/myst-iii-exile/critic-reviews/?platform=pc ''Exile''], [https://www.metacritic.com/game/myst-iv-revelation/critic-reviews/?platform=pc ''Revelation''], [https://www.metacritic.com/game/myst-v-end-of-ages/critic-reviews/?platform=pc ''End of Ages''], [https://www.metacritic.com/game/uru-ages-beyond-myst/critic-reviews/?platform=pc ''Uru: Ages Beyond Myst''], [https://www.metacritic.com/game/uru-the-path-of-the-shell/critic-reviews/?platform=pc ''Uru: The Path of the Shell''], and [https://www.metacritic.com/game/myst-online-uru-live/critic-reviews/?platform=pc ''Myst Online: Uru Live''] on Metacritic. Accessed on September 14, 2014. All scores for Windows PC versions of the games.</ref> !GameRankings<ref name="gamerankings-totals">[http://www.gamerankings.com/pc/89467-myst/index.html ''Myst''], [http://www.gamerankings.com/pc/36592-riven-the-sequel-to-myst/index.html ''Riven''], [http://www.gamerankings.com/pc/914209-myst-iii-exile/index.html ''Exile''], [http://www.gamerankings.com/pc/920187-myst-iv-revelation/index.html ''Revelation''], [http://www.gamerankings.com/pc/925789-myst-v-end-of-ages/index.html ''End of Ages''], [http://www.gamerankings.com/pc/561642-uru-ages-beyond-myst/index.html ''Uru: Ages Beyond Myst''], [http://www.gamerankings.com/pc/920994-uru-the-path-of-the-shell/index.html ''Uru: The Path of the Shell''], [http://www.gamerankings.com/pc/921172-myst-uru-complete-chronicles/index.html ''Myst: Uru Complete Chronicles''], and [http://www.gamerankings.com/pc/934982-myst-online-uru-live/index.html ''Myst Online: Uru Live''] on GameRankings. Accessed on September 14, 2014. All scores for Windows PC versions of the games.</ref> |- |''Myst'' | style="text-align:center" | n/a | style="text-align:center" | 82.57% |- |''Riven'' | style="text-align:center" | 83% | style="text-align:center" | 84.60% |- |''Myst III: Exile'' | style="text-align:center" | 83% | style="text-align:center" | 77.07% |- |''Uru: Ages Beyond Myst'' | style="text-align:center" | 79% | style="text-align:center" | 76.19% |- |''Uru: The Path of the Shell'' | style="text-align:center" | 72% | style="text-align:center" | 67.69% |- |''Uru: Complete Chronicles'' | style="text-align:center" | n/a | style="text-align:center" | 84.67% |- |''Myst IV: Revelation'' | style="text-align:center" | 82% | style="text-align:center" | 81.72% |- |''Myst V: End of Ages'' | style="text-align:center" | 80% | style="text-align:center" | 79.82% |- |''Myst Online: Uru Live'' (GameTap) | style="text-align:center" | 78% | style="text-align:center" | 82.67% |}

Overall, the ''Myst'' series has been critically and commercially successful. Rand and Robyn Miller were expecting ''Myst'' to perform as well as previous Cyan titles, making enough money to fund the next project.<ref>{{cite journal|author=Miller, Robyn|year=2007|title=The Secret History of 'Myst'|journal=Make|volume=8|issue=1|pages=54–61}}</ref> Instead, ''Myst'' sold more than six million units, becoming the top-selling PC game of all time until ''The Sims'' surpassed ''Myst'' sales in 2002.<ref name="best-selling">{{cite web |url=http://www.gamespot.com/pc/strategy/simslivinlarge/news_2857556.html |title=The Sims overtakes Myst |access-date=March 17, 2008 |author=Walker, Trey |date=March 22, 2002 |publisher=GameSpot}}</ref> The first three games in the series have sold more than twelve million copies.{{cn|date=May 2026}}

1UP.com writer Jeremy Parish noted that there have been two main opinions of ''Myst''{{'}}s slow, puzzle-based gameplay; "Fans consider ''Myst'' an elegant, intelligent game for grown-ups, while detractors call it a soulless stroll through a digital museum, more art than game."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.1up.com/do/reviewPage?cId=3135149&p=1|title=Myst IV: Revelation Review|publisher=1UP.com|access-date=November 18, 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060614200859/http://www.1up.com/do/reviewPage?cId=3135149|archive-date=June 14, 2006|df=mdy-all}}</ref> Game industry executives were confused by ''Myst''{{'}}s success, not understanding how an "interactive slide show" turned out to be a huge hit. Online magazine writer Russell Pitts of ''The Escapist'' called ''Myst'' "unlike anything that had come before, weaving video almost seamlessly into a beautifully rendered world, presenting a captivating landscape filled with puzzles and mystery. In a game market dominated by ''Doom'' clones and simulators, ''Myst'' took us by the hand and showed us the future of gaming. It took almost a decade for anyone to follow its lead."<ref>{{cite web|author=Pitts, Russell|date=July 8, 2008|url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/issues/issue_157/5024-A-Three-Year-History-of-Gaming.2|title=A Three-Year History of Gaming|work=The Escapist|access-date=November 19, 2008}}</ref> Critics from ''Wired'' and ''Salon'' considered the games approaching the level of art,<ref name="riven rapt">{{cite web|author=Miller, Laura |date=November 6, 1997 |url=http://archive.salon.com/21st/feature/1997/11/cov_06riven.html |title=Riven Rapt |work=Salon |access-date=April 7, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080402053903/http://archive.salon.com/21st/feature/1997/11/cov_06riven.html |archive-date=April 2, 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|author=Rothstein, Edward|date=December 4, 1994|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F07E7DD1030F937A35751C1A962958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=1|title=A New Art Form May Arise From the 'Myst'|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 1, 2008}}</ref> while authors Henry Jenkins and Lev Manovich pointed out the series as exemplifying the promise of new media to create unseen art forms.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Jenkins, Henry |author2=Tara McPherson, Jane Shattuc |year=2002|title=Hop on Pop: The Politics and Pleasures of Popular Culture|publisher=Duke University Press|isbn=0-8223-2737-6|page=494}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Manovich, Lev|year=2002|title=The Language of New Media|publisher=MIT Press|isbn=0-262-63255-1|page=244}}</ref>

The series caused a major shift in the adventure game genre. Unlike previous games, ''Myst'' attempted to keep players immersed in the world by removing all information not associated with the fictional world itself—no explanatory text, inventory, or score counters.<ref>{{cite book|author=Wolf, Mark|year=2007|title=The Video Game Explosion: A History from Pong to Playstation and Beyond|publisher= Greenwood Publishing Group|isbn= 978-0-313-33868-7|pages=88–90}}</ref> ''Myst'' has also been cited as the reason for the decline of the adventure game genre; eager to capitalize on ''Myst''{{'}}s success, publishers churned out mediocre ''Myst'' clones, which flooded the market.<ref>{{cite web|author=Staff |date=January 12, 2005 |url=http://www.1up.com/do/feature?cId=3134600 |title=The Essential 50 Part 33: Myst |publisher=1UP.com |access-date=November 18, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160202073653/http://www.1up.com/features/essential-50-myst |archive-date=February 2, 2016 }}</ref> By ''Exile''{{'}}s release, games like ''Myst'' were considered to be an "antiquated" form of gaming by some critics.<ref name="time-secrets">{{cite magazine|author=Hamilton, Anita|date=August 9, 2004|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,994827,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080408163513/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,994827,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 8, 2008|title=Secrets of The New Myst|magazine=Time|access-date=November 17, 2008}}</ref>

The title was widely credited as one of the first games to appeal not just to hardcore gamers but to casual players and demographics that generally did not play games, such as women.<ref name="salon-partnership is riven"/> ''Myst''{{'}}s lack of conventional game elements—violence, dying, and failure—appealed to nongamers and those contemplating buying a computer.<ref>{{cite web|author=Staff |url=http://www.tiscali.co.uk/games/myst/history1.html |title=History of Myst; 10 years and counting |publisher=Tiscali.co.uk |access-date=November 9, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080724143838/http://www.tiscali.co.uk/games/myst/history1.html |archive-date=July 24, 2008 }}</ref> The Millers' decision to develop ''Myst'' for the nascent CD-ROM format helped boost interest and adoption of disc drives.<ref name="ign retro">{{cite web|author=Staff|date=August 1, 2000|url=http://pc.ign.com/articles/082/082913p1.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020217225201/http://pc.ign.com/articles/082/082913p1.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 17, 2002|title=RC Retroview: Myst|publisher=IGN|access-date=April 21, 2008}}</ref>

The game inspired a CD parody game called ''Pyst'', written by comedian Peter Bergman and featured John Goodman in video scenes.<ref name="schwartz">{{cite news | title = Seeing through the 'Myst'-tique 'Pyst' pokes fun at hit CD-ROM | work = USA Today | author = Schwartz, Bruce | date = October 10, 1996 }}</ref> Players traveled across the spoiled island of Myst after millions of players walked over it, with the parody game poking fun at elements of the prototype.<ref>{{cite news | title = Myst Gets Dissed on CD-ROM | work = BusinessWeek | author = Eng, Paul M | date = October 21, 1996}}</ref>

==Fan conventions== [[File:Group Shot (15229911462).jpg|thumb|Attendees of the 2014 Mysterium convention in cosplay]] The game has spawned annual fan conventions around the world. Mysterium has been held since 2000, which grew out of the plans of a small group of fans who wanted to meet in person. Approximately 200 people attended the meeting in Spokane, Washington, which was held at the headquarters of Cyan Worlds, developers of the game. Subsequent conventions have been more formally planned, involving presentations and live music.<ref name="mysterium2006">[https://www.deseret.com/2006/8/28/19970328/music-notes-myst-ified-fans-find-parity-in-fantastic-worlds "Myst"ified fans find parity in fantastic worlds], ''Deseret Morning News'', Scott Iwasaki, August 28, 2006</ref>

==References== {{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==External links== {{Commons category}} * [https://cyan.com Cyan Worlds]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Myst (Series)}} Category:Myst (series) Category:Video game franchises Category:Book series Category:Multimedia works Category:Video games set in the 19th century Category:Video games set in the 21st century Category:Video game franchises introduced in 1993 Category:Video games adapted into novels

Myst (series)

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