Myst developer Cyan Worlds lays off staff

Riven and Myst developer Cyan Worlds has laid off around half of its team. In a statement posted online, the studio confirmed that while it had done everything that it could to prevent this situation, it was unable to do so largely due to "industry conditions."

"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," reads the statement. "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."

Cyan Worlds' plan for the future is to secure funding for its next project as it tries to restabilise in these tricky times. Unfortunately, Cyan Worlds is one of a number of studios, big and small, that have had to lay off employees this year. We had hoped things might get better in 2025, but we're still regularly reporting on people losing their jobs.