Riven’s upcoming remake is only happening because Cyan can do it justice

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This story is part of our Summer Gaming Marathon series.

A remake ofRiven: The Sequel to Myst, a PC puzzle game classic, comes PC, Mac, Meta Quest 2, and Meta Quest 3 later this month. Recreating such a beloved game is a daunting task for any developer. In an interview with Digital Trends, Rand Miller from Cyan Worlds, the studio behind the original Riven and this remake, explained that the studio tactfully waited to revisit Riven until they could get it right.

“Riven is such a special part of Cyan’s history. We knew we would remake it for real-time 3D at some point, but not until we could really do it justice,” Miller tells Digital Trends. “We have done several remakes of Myst, along with several other new games, which allowed us to test the 3D engine waters and get better and better at our real-time 3D skills. The stars seemed like they would align a few years ago so we began design.”

Ahead of theRiven remake’s release later this month, I spoke to Miller, Cyan Worlds’ CEO, over email about it. Our conversation about the remake encompasses why Cyan Worlds decided to revisit this classic, the pressure the team felt while modernizing Riven, and lessons the team learned from its remake of Myst and newer original games like Firmament. It’s an insightful conversation about what it takes to revive a beloved game many are nostalgic for over 26 years after its original release.

Digital Trends: Why did Cyan decide it was time to remake Riven?

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Rand Miller: Riven is such a special part of Cyan’s history. We knew we would remake it for real-time 3D at some point, but not until we could really do it justice. We have done several remakes of Myst, along with several other new games which allowed us to test the 3D engine waters and get better and better at our