The studio behind Myst and Riven, Cyan Worlds, has halved its headcount. 

In a Twitter post, the developer's leadership wrote that it had been forced to cut 12 jobs due to "industry conditions." The studio's management added that it had been transparent with its staff, so while the layoffs are "deeply saddening," they are not a surprise to the workers impacted. 

"Industry conditions have forced us into a tricky spot where we are having to weigh the future health of our studio against the month-to-month realities of game development in 2025. Throughout the past year, we have been ultra-transparent with the entire Cyan team about the choppy waters we find ourselves in, as well as the dangers ahead. While the news of a layoff was not a surprise to the team, it was (and is) still deeply saddening for all of us.

"Although we have done our best to pad the landing for those affected with severance packages, we would implore any fellow developers looking for world-class talent to reach out.

"For now, our number one priority is to secure financing for our next project, and to restabilize the studio. We've been around for a very long time, and have been through tough times before. Our sincere hope is to continue to be around, and to provide the types of experiences that only Cyan can deliver."