spatialcomputing.info

Cyan, the indie studio behind VR-supported revivals of classic puzzle adventures MYST (1993) and RIVEN (1997), announced a second tranche of layoffs following a round in March that reduced the company by half.

Cyan announced the news in a Bluesky post, linking an updated Google document with contact details of affected employees.

The updated list includes 14 names, although it’s unclear how many were affected in this second round versus March layoffs. Several of the listed employees were previously confirmed to have departed earlier this year. Additionally, inclusion in the document was voluntary.

Cyan announced in March that it was laying off twelve staff members, “roughly half the team,” the studio confirmed. Since Cyan ostensibly had around 24 employees before March layoffs, it’s likely now down to single digits following the recent round.

At the time, Cyan said its “number one priority is to secure financing for our next project, and to restabilize the studio,” further noting the studio has “been around for a very long time, and have been through tough times before.”

“Industry conditions have forced us into a tricky spot where we are having to weigh the future health of our studio against the month-to-month realities of game development in 2025,” Cyan said in March. “Throughout the past year, we have been ultra-transparent with the entire Cyan team about the choppy waters we find ourselves in, as well as the dangers ahead. While the news of a layoff was not a surprise to the team, it was (and is) still deeply saddening for all of us.”

Caught up in the recent layoff round was Lead Game Designer and Writer Harrison Pink, who joined the company in 2023. In a LinkedIn post, Pink calls the industry is “a complete mess right now.”

“It breaks my heart to say it, but unfortunately I was caught up in this layoff,” Pink says. “The industry is a complete mess right now, and I don’t blame any of this on the folks at Cyan, who have done as right by me as they possibly could.”

Cyan is best known for creating Myst, the groundbreaking 1993 puzzle adventure game that became a cultural phenomenon and helped popularize CD-ROM gaming.

Over the years, the studio released four other direct entries in the Myst franchise, including Riven (1997), Myst III: Exile (2001), Myst IV: Revelation (2004), and Myst V: End of Ages (2005).

Cyan’s first foray into VR gaming began with the release of Obduction (2016), a spiritual successor to Myst that was successfully crowd-funded via a Kickstarter campaign in 2013. The first-person sci-fi puzzle adventure was released across PC VR and the original PSVR, as well as console and PC.

In 2021, Cyan then launched a 3D remake of Myst, which released on Quest, PC VR, PC and console, updating the nearly 30-year-old game with modern graphics.

In 2023, the studio released Firmament (2023), its atmospheric puzzle adventure in the spirit of Myst and Obduction, launched across PC, console, PC VR and PSVR 2. Shortly afterwards, Cyan released the 3D remake of Riven, bringing the game to Quest, PC VR, PC and console.

The recent layoff round follows the release of ‘Rime’, a new free Age added to the Myst remake, launched on March 20th. Meanwhile, the studio is getting ready to launch Firmament on PS5 and PSVR 2 on July 2nd.