Cyan, the Creator of Myst, Makes Significant Layoffs Amid Financing Search for New Project

The team behind VR hits like Myst, Riven, Firmament, and Obduction has unfortunately had to let go of about half their workforce, which equates to a dozen skilled members.

Cyan issued a comprehensive statement addressing the situation:

“Today, we’re bringing some difficult news. Despite our attempts to prevent it, we’ve had to make the hard choice to downsize our workforce—leading to the layoff of twelve talented individuals, around half of our team, by the end of March.”

The gaming industry’s current climate has put us in a challenging position, forcing us to balance the future health of our studio against navigating the realities of game development as we look toward 2025. Over the past year, we’ve been completely transparent with the Cyan team about the turbulence we’re facing and the potential hurdles ahead. Even though the possibility of layoffs was anticipated, it remains a deeply saddening event for all involved.

While we’ve sought to ease the transition for those affected by offering severance packages, we’re reaching out to fellow developers who are looking for top-notch talent.

Our immediate focus is on securing funding for our next venture and stabilizing the studio. Cyan has weathered many storms over the years, and we sincerely hope to continue crafting the unique experiences our fans love.

We are forever grateful for the incredible support from our player community.

Interestingly, while the announcement about seeking funding doesn’t specifically refer to VR, it’s worth noting that Cyan is one of the few studios that has honed its expertise in crafting games with hand-tracking capabilities.

It raises an important question: with giants like Apple, Meta, Google, Valve, and Sony leading the way in tech, why aren’t they stepping up to support studios like Cyan to develop more innovative VR games?