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Myst creators ink deal to turn adventure game into TV series
Legendary Entertainment and Myst developer Cyan have reached an agreement that will see the seminal adventure game leap from the PC (and a dozen other gaming platforms) to your television. Variety claims Rand and Robyn Miller - the duo most commonly cited as the creators of Myst - will be directly involved with the creative direction of the TV series. Their goal is to not only create a "compelling TV drama" but to also expand Myst into a "true transmedia franchise" that might include tablet support and a tie-in video game. Yes, that would be a video game based on a TV show based on a video game. Lacking from Variety's report is word on whether the series will debut on a traditional TV network, via digital distribution or on a streaming service. Likewise, it's unknown what part of the Myst universe the series will be based on. With numerous sequels and spin-offs (including a defunct but rabidly beloved massively multiplayer online game) there's a wealth of material within the Myst mythos to include in the series, and that's assuming the show doesn't create a wholly unique plotline within the Millers' complex universe. [Image: Cyan]
The Game Archaeologist: Myst Online: Uru Live
The impact of Myst in 1993 was akin to an atomic bomb going off in the PC gaming world. The leap forward in graphical fidelity (aided by the large storage capacity of a CD-ROM and all of the full-motion video and gorgeous images tucked into it) captured gamers' imaginations and made this adventure title the best-selling PC game of all time, at least for several years. Brothers Robyn and Rand Miller's story about a stranger who had to solve puzzles through a good-looking (if deserted) landscape was devilishly difficult, yet that challenge kept players coming back for months and even years. The Myst franchise surged forward at that point, with several sequels, remakes, and ports selling like hotcakes through the final game's release in 2005. Yet something interesting happened along the way when an offshoot of the series -- Uru: Ages Beyond Myst -- evolved into an MMO. With a focus on multiplayer exploration and puzzle-solving instead of non-stop combat, it may be one of the very few MMOs out there that eschews fighting for brainpower. It's an oddity, no doubt, and despite it being an incredibly niche title, it has fascinated me enough to pull me into a research rabbit hole. So let's take a look at Myst Online: Uru Live!
