A month ago, the indie studio behind Myst, and Ryven – Cyan Worlds, Inc. – turned to Kickstarter to raise some funds. This is the third time the studio created a campaign to source some funds in order to complete the game.
The first one was for their immersive first-person adventure game, Obduction, which raised $1,321,306 from its goal of $1,100,000. The second one was for the 25th Anniversary Collection of Myst. The funds raised from this brand new campaign will be used for their upcoming virtual reality puzzler game, Firmament.
Cyan Worlds has a goal of gathering a total of $1,285,000 for Firmament, much higher than the goal for Obduction. In fact, the studio mentions that while it seems high, the budget they set is relatively modest for their work.
They have already raised about $964,000 through 12,000 backers in the time that this is being written. There are four days left in the fundraiser, and the studio still needs about $321,000 to complete its goal.
As per the campaign’s Kickstarter page, Firmament is an all or nothing fundraising campaign. This means that the company has to reach its goal by the time the campaign end. If they fall short on funds, it is possible that the company won’t proceed with Firmament.
This is because the Cyan Worlds won’t be receiving even a penny from the campaign if it fails. Instead, they will move onto other projects which are much safer and will get the much-needed support.
Firmament will be created for a virtual reality experience, but it will also be playable on PC. It is inspired by the steampunk roots of Myst and shows the eclectic and immersive visuals Cyan is known for.
The game will feature a clockwork device which will accompany and assist players throughout their journey. The device doesn’t have any way of communicating with the player. But it will understand hand gestures.
As the game progresses, both the device and the player will develop their vocabulary of gestures through their interactions. Together, they will solve the puzzles and unravel whatever lies ahead of them.
Those who will pledge for the campaign will be receiving various kinds of exclusive content and reward. There are different tiers to choose from, and people can also choose to pledge without a reward.
There are only four days left in the campaign. And it might be difficult for them to reach it on time. Especially since there is no playable demo available to the public.
Those who are thinking of pledging can only watch the Firmament’s video to see what the game will be like. Hopefully, Cyan Worlds will reach its goal for their campaign.
