Rand Miller
Encyclopedia
Rand Miller co-founded Cyan (now Cyan Worlds
) with brother Robyn Miller
and became famous from the unexpected success of their computer game Myst
, which remained the number one-selling game for the remainder of the 1990s. Rand also worked on the game's sequel, Riven
, and later Myst III: Exile
, Myst IV: Revelation
, Myst V: End of Ages
, realMyst, and Uru
. The brothers also acted out parts in the game, with Robyn as Sirrus and Rand as Achenar and Atrus.
Still CEO, he is now less involved with working out storyline, gameplay
and programming, instead focusing on managing the project his company works on. As a sideline, he is found portraying the role of Atrus in the Myst
sequels, some of which were created by other companies, including Myst III: Exile
(by Presto Studios
) and Myst IV: Revelation
(by Ubisoft Montreal
). He claims that he dislikes this job and feels he is the wrong person to do it, but does so because changing the actor for such a major role in the game would have caused uproar in the Myst community.
project, Miller faced the Internet
as a new way to stay in contact with Myst' s large fan base, but also as a risky business: in interviews before the Uru
launch, he kept stressing the importance of the then-growing broadband internet access market, following the general optimism and expecting Uru Live
to be the one integral part of the game. Maybe out of necessity, he remained positive about using Live as a "never-ending" place, with frequently-added and changed content and a community in the hundreds of thousands to "live" in it.
Miller appeared shocked by Uru Live' s ultimate failure, as reflected in his letter to the Uru Live community, which he wrote to explain why the game had to be shut down for an indefinite amount of time. In a previous interview, Miller had stated that finance from outside investment, not technology, was the reason for the failed project, "I think the biggest failure was running out of money, and thus running out of time, and thus losing control of our own destiny. No matter what promises are made or common goals are agreed upon, whoever pays the bills has the final say." Despite the earlier setback, Cyan Worlds announced in Los Angeles
at E3 2006 that they would be partnering with GameTap
to bring Uru Live to life again. On February 15, 2007, Myst Online: Uru Live
was released. Miller himself has made some appearances in the "Bevins" - the common neighborhoods where players congregate - on at least two occasions.
in the popular animated talk show Space Ghost Coast to Coast
. In this interview, Space Ghost talked to him about his "Myst Island Travel Package", having many complaints, among them being lack of bathrooms or bedrooms ("You know, I noticed that...just before my bladder imploded!"), lack of nightlife activity ("The only action after sundown was the Chiggers burrowing into my ears!" *whistles* Those feels"), and the apparent illness of the ponies ("Mine never did stop going"). Miller denied the existence of ponies on Myst island, only to have the monitor blasted by Space Ghost's Power Band ("feeling the 'Wrath of the Ghost'"). He responded, "Your...phantom ponies...BITE!"
Cyan Worlds
Cyan Worlds, Inc. is a video game development company, founded by brothers Rand and Robyn Miller in 1987, and best known as the creators of the Myst series. After Myst and its sequel Riven sold several million copies each, Cyan went on to create the massively multiplayer online adventure, Uru,...
) with brother Robyn Miller
Robyn Miller
Robyn Charles Miller co-founded Cyan Worlds with brother Rand Miller. After releasing a number of children's adventure "worlds", the brothers finally hit on a success with the computer game Myst, which remained the number one-selling game for the remainder of the 1990s...
and became famous from the unexpected success of their computer game Myst
Myst
Myst is a graphic adventure video game designed and directed by the brothers Robyn and Rand Miller. It was developed by Cyan , a Spokane, Washington––based studio, and published and distributed by Brøderbund. The Millers began working on Myst in and released it for the Mac OS computer on September...
, which remained the number one-selling game for the remainder of the 1990s. Rand also worked on the game's sequel, Riven
Riven
Riven is a puzzle adventure game and the sequel to Myst. Developed by Cyan Worlds, it was initially published by Brøderbund. Riven was distributed on five compact discs and released on October 29, 1997, in North America; it was later released on a single DVD-ROM, with improved audio and a...
, and later Myst III: Exile
Myst III: Exile
Myst III: Exile is the third title in the Myst series of first person adventure video games. While the preceding games in the series, Myst and Riven, were produced by Cyan and published by Brøderbund, Exile was developed by Presto Studios and published by Ubisoft...
, Myst IV: Revelation
Myst IV: Revelation
Myst IV: Revelation is the fourth installment in the Myst computer game series, developed and published by Ubisoft. Revelation was the first game in the series released exclusively on a DVD-ROM format; a multiple CD-ROM version was not produced as it would have taken twelve compact discs to fit all...
, Myst V: End of Ages
Myst V: End of Ages
Myst V: End of Ages is a 2005 adventure video game, and the fifth and final installment in the Myst series. The game was developed by Cyan Worlds, published by Ubisoft, and released for Macintosh and Windows PC platforms on September 20, 2005...
, realMyst, and Uru
Uru: Ages Beyond Myst
Uru: Ages Beyond Myst is an adventure video game developed by Cyan Worlds and published by Ubisoft. Released in 2003, the title is the fourth game in the Myst canon. Departing from previous games of the franchise, Uru takes place in the modern era and allows players to customize their onscreen...
. The brothers also acted out parts in the game, with Robyn as Sirrus and Rand as Achenar and Atrus.
Still CEO, he is now less involved with working out storyline, gameplay
Gameplay
Gameplay is the specific way in which players interact with a game, and in particular with video games. Gameplay is the pattern defined through the game rules, connection between player and the game, challenges and overcoming them, plot and player's connection with it...
and programming, instead focusing on managing the project his company works on. As a sideline, he is found portraying the role of Atrus in the Myst
Myst
Myst is a graphic adventure video game designed and directed by the brothers Robyn and Rand Miller. It was developed by Cyan , a Spokane, Washington––based studio, and published and distributed by Brøderbund. The Millers began working on Myst in and released it for the Mac OS computer on September...
sequels, some of which were created by other companies, including Myst III: Exile
Myst III: Exile
Myst III: Exile is the third title in the Myst series of first person adventure video games. While the preceding games in the series, Myst and Riven, were produced by Cyan and published by Brøderbund, Exile was developed by Presto Studios and published by Ubisoft...
(by Presto Studios
Presto Studios
Presto Studios was a computer game development company of the 1990s, especially famous for its award-winning The Journeyman Project series and the 2001 sequel to Cyan's hit Myst series, Myst III: Exile....
) and Myst IV: Revelation
Myst IV: Revelation
Myst IV: Revelation is the fourth installment in the Myst computer game series, developed and published by Ubisoft. Revelation was the first game in the series released exclusively on a DVD-ROM format; a multiple CD-ROM version was not produced as it would have taken twelve compact discs to fit all...
(by Ubisoft Montreal
Ubisoft Montreal
Ubisoft Montreal is a Canadian video game developer owned by French publisher Ubisoft.Ubisoft's North American studio is located in Montreal, Quebec...
). He claims that he dislikes this job and feels he is the wrong person to do it, but does so because changing the actor for such a major role in the game would have caused uproar in the Myst community.
The Uru project
During the almost seven-year-long UruUru: Ages Beyond Myst
Uru: Ages Beyond Myst is an adventure video game developed by Cyan Worlds and published by Ubisoft. Released in 2003, the title is the fourth game in the Myst canon. Departing from previous games of the franchise, Uru takes place in the modern era and allows players to customize their onscreen...
project, Miller faced the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
as a new way to stay in contact with Myst
Uru: Ages Beyond Myst
Uru: Ages Beyond Myst is an adventure video game developed by Cyan Worlds and published by Ubisoft. Released in 2003, the title is the fourth game in the Myst canon. Departing from previous games of the franchise, Uru takes place in the modern era and allows players to customize their onscreen...
launch, he kept stressing the importance of the then-growing broadband internet access market, following the general optimism and expecting Uru Live
Uru: Ages Beyond Myst
Uru: Ages Beyond Myst is an adventure video game developed by Cyan Worlds and published by Ubisoft. Released in 2003, the title is the fourth game in the Myst canon. Departing from previous games of the franchise, Uru takes place in the modern era and allows players to customize their onscreen...
to be the one integral part of the game. Maybe out of necessity, he remained positive about using Live as a "never-ending" place, with frequently-added and changed content and a community in the hundreds of thousands to "live" in it.
Miller appeared shocked by Uru Live
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
at E3 2006 that they would be partnering with GameTap
GameTap
GameTap is an American online video game service established by Turner Broadcasting System . Dubbed by TBS as a "first of its kind broadband gaming network", the service provides users with classic arcade video games and game-related video content...
to bring Uru Live to life again. On February 15, 2007, Myst Online: Uru Live
Myst Online: Uru Live
Myst Online: Uru Live is an open source massively multiplayer online adventure game developed by Cyan Worlds. The game is the multiplayer component to the 2003 video game Uru: Ages Beyond Myst. Like Uru, Myst Online takes place in 2000's New Mexico, where an ancient civilization known as the D'ni...
was released. Miller himself has made some appearances in the "Bevins" - the common neighborhoods where players congregate - on at least two occasions.
Interview with Space Ghost
GameTap also brought him into an interview with cartoon star Space GhostSpace Ghost
Space Ghost is a fictional superhero created by Hanna-Barbera Productions and designed by Alex Toth for CBS in the 1960s. In his original incarnation, he was a superhero who, with his sidekick teen helpers Jan, Jace, and Blip the monkey, fought supervillains in outer space...
in the popular animated talk show Space Ghost Coast to Coast
Space Ghost Coast to Coast
Space Ghost Coast to Coast is an American animated parody talk show hosted by the 60s Hanna-Barbera cartoon character Space Ghost. The show premiered on April 15, 1994 on Cartoon Network...
. In this interview, Space Ghost talked to him about his "Myst Island Travel Package", having many complaints, among them being lack of bathrooms or bedrooms ("You know, I noticed that...just before my bladder imploded!"), lack of nightlife activity ("The only action after sundown was the Chiggers burrowing into my ears!" *whistles* Those feels"), and the apparent illness of the ponies ("Mine never did stop going"). Miller denied the existence of ponies on Myst island, only to have the monitor blasted by Space Ghost's Power Band ("feeling the 'Wrath of the Ghost'"). He responded, "Your...phantom ponies...BITE!"
External links
Interviews
- WorldVillage.com Gamezone interview about Myst
- Adventure Classic Gaming interview about Myst and Uru development history
- Imaginarium interview after Riven
- The Adrenaline Vault interview about "Mudpie" - what later became Uru at The Adrenaline Vault
- Tiscali UK interview about Uru's release
- JustAdventure interview about Uru's release
- Ubisoft / MystWorlds.com Q&A chat session during Uru Live launch
- Gamestudies Interview