Developer Myst raises money for VR game Firmament

By admin On Mar 27, 2019

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Development studio Cyan has started a crowdfunding campaign to raise money for its VR game Firmament. The studio is known for Myst, Riven and Obduction. The new game is being developed for Oculus and Vive headsets, but will also be playable without a VR headset.

Firmament is, just like previous work of the studio, a puzzle game and in the new game a Clockwork Companion is central. Players cannot talk to that companion, but must communicate with hand gestures. In the VR version of the game, this works with motion controllers.

Cyan has recruited Russel Brower to provide the music for the game. He was also responsible for the music in World of Warcraft. Backers of the project are promised exclusive DLC in the form of cosmetic adjustments. Interested parties can get in touch with the makers via Discord to follow the development process.

The game is being made in Unreal Engine 4 and the focus is on developing a Windows version. The makers want to make a macOS version, but think they won’t have enough resources for that. If more money becomes available than expected, there could also be a macOS version. The developers also note that the game world is changing rapidly and that there may be other opportunities for Mac users to play the game. Perhaps Cyan is referring to a streaming service like Google Stadia.

Cyan has not yet decided which stores the game will be released through. Because the game is released for the VR glasses from Oculus and HTC, it is expected that the game will appear in the online stores of those manufacturers. Furthermore, a release on Steam or in the Epic Game Store would be possible, or via a platform that offers games without DRM. Cyan will only decide on this around the release.

It is not the first time that Cyan has used Kickstarter to fund the development of a game. Last year the team raised $2.8 million to make Myst 25 Anniversary and Obduction was also launched through a successful crowdfunding campaign.

Cyan has been working on Firmament for a while; the game was announced early last year. The studio says it needs about $1.3 million to finish the game. At the time of writing, approximately $280,000 has been raised and the project can still be supported until April 27. People who put in at least $30 get the game when it’s finished. Cyan expects Firmament to be released in July 2020.