Myst was a massive success: Not only was it the best-selling PC videogame of all time for years, it helped usher in the CD-ROM era, opening the door to expansive new technologies and previously unseen levels of fidelity in gaming. In 1993, Myst was nothing short of a revelation.
The fortunes of Myst, and developer Cyan Worlds, have waned since then. The most recent game in the series, Myst 5: End of Ages, came out in 2005 and was reasonably well received but not a big seller; Cyan, after years of financial struggles, has moved onto Myst-like games including Firmament and Obduction, both of them reliant on crowdfunding.
The studio laid off "roughly half" its staff in 2025, leading PC Gamer's Justin Wagner to write that "it's galling to see a historic indie like Cyan Worlds hit so hard" by the brutal, ongoing contraction of the game industry. Justin sure wasn't wrong about that, but some folks are finding this even more galling: Over the weekend Cyan released a teaser for a new Myst game, codenamed Project Anglerfish, which looks really good—and then said it's not in development because apparently publishers aren't interested.
Cyan said it spent about four months developing a prototype for the game in 2025, which was "purpose-built for publisher-eyes only," as was the teaser video. "For a variety of reasons, this project couldn’t move forward at the time, BUT we’re still proud of the work the team did—so we’re sharing the teaser for the prototype with you all now."
That's definitely a Myst game alright, although I don't recall ol' Atrus being quite as high-strung and shouty as the agitated longhair here. As a lapsed fan of the series, I think it looks great, and it's disappointing that this video doesn't herald the coming of a new game, but is instead just a look at what might have been.
Judging by reactions on Bluesky, I'm far from the only one who thinks so.
i'm heartbroken. this looks so good. this industry, man
— @robohipster.bsky.social (@robohipster.bsky.social.bsky.social) 2026-07-27T19:26:42.257Z
I am now really sad that I have seen this, because this prototype looks like it would have been damn awesome if it was picked up and made into a full game.
— @chrisfratz.bsky.social (@chrisfratz.bsky.social.bsky.social) 2026-07-27T19:26:42.079Z
This is where a buttload of people lose their shit and demand/request/beg you to finish development coz it looks baller af :3
— @thatpandayouknow.bsky.social (@thatpandayouknow.bsky.social.bsky.social) 2026-07-27T19:26:41.977Z
It hurts my soul that this never saw the light of day. Actually looks incredible.
— @magindoe.bsky.social (@magindoe.bsky.social.bsky.social) 2026-07-27T19:26:42.175Z
At the same time, it's not hard to understand why publishers might be reluctant to back the money truck up to a new Myst game. Myst faded away for a reason, and there's a looming gulf between a strong hit of nostalgia delivered by a three-minute video and the reality of playing old school adventure games with deliberately obtuse puzzles—and, more to the point, paying for the privilege. Is there really a big demand for Myst's brand of storytelling these days?
What really vexes me, though, is that there might be. The audience for a new Myst game might be small (at least compared to, say, Fortnite or Roblox) but it's also very dedicated and willing to chuck money at what it wants. In other words, it seems like an ideal candidate for a crowdfunding campaign—yet Cyan isn't pursuing one. I have to wonder why that is, because the studio's previous games, Obduction and Firmament, were both Kickstarter successes, drawing in well over $1 million each.
A new Myst game would almost certainly do even bigger numbers on the weight of the name alone: In 2018, Cyan ran a Kickstarter for the Myst 25th Anniversary Collection and pulled in more than $2.8 million. People like their Myst, and people want their Myst.
And who knows? Maybe, eventually, they'll get their Myst. It might be cynical but I find myself wondering if this little showcase is perhaps another way to gauge interest ahead of a possible campaign for a new Myst game—a non-teaser that's actually a real teaser for a game that's not in active development right now but who's to say what happens in a month? It's a bit conspiratorial, sure, but I like to think of it more as hopeful: You just gotta believe, even if it takes some convoluted thinking to get there.
