Tony Fryman, CEO of Cyan Worlds, notified us that he's sending out the following release to the extended Myst Online and Uru family:

Shorah, fans of Cyan,
As you may be aware, Cyan's situation has not improved on the "resources" front. We continue to work on small projects (including "Myst" for the iPhone/iPod Touch), and it looks like we will only be able to concentrate on projects that are fully funded for the foreseeable future.

However, all of us at Cyan and everybody that has ever worked on the creation and building of the dream called UruLive (a.k.a. "Mudpie," "Until Uru," "MystOnline:UruLive" and MORE) can not just let it die!

(My definitions: "UruLive" is the original dream of the virtual world.

And "MystOnline" is the current implementation of UruLive.)

So, Cyan has decided to give make MystOnline available to the fans by releasing the source code for the servers, client and tools for MystOnline as an open source project. We will also host a data server with the data for MystOnline. MORE is still possible but only with the help from fans.

This is a bit scary for Cyan because this is an area that we have never gone before, to let a product freely roam in the wild. But we've poured so much into UruLive, and it has touched so many, that we could not just let it whither and die. We still have hopes that someday we will be able to provide new content for UruLive and/or work on the next UruLive.

This is also a bit scary for the fans. We realize that this could turn UruLive into the "wild west" and lead to many fractured and diverse MystOnline servers. But it is our hope that with the help of dedicated core fans (if you are reading this, it probably means you) that a safe and secure MystOnline server set (many servers from around the world working together as one) can be created that will let people explore and live in UruLive.

We also are pretty sure that releasing MystOnline will result in some pleasant surprises for us. Our fans have always been so innovative, creative, and resourceful!

This release will probably be accomplished in stages, but we hope to get things ready for the first stage very quickly. More details to surely follow.

I was really looking forward to MystOnline, and very disappointed when I heard that it wasn't going to happen. Now, I'm all jazzed up again! (I even have a dedicated server at home that I could put it on!) So, What help do you need from the Fans?

Great news! This way, at least the legacy can live on + don't underestimate the power of the many :-)
Congrats for boldly taking this step!
Personally hoping a linux version will be among the results :-)
Eagerly awaithing the sources...

Cheers!

I am very happy for your choice.

I love URU/Mist and this is a very good way to continue playing your games.

Thanks
AndreaS

This is great news for many people!

I was not aware that there even was a Myst MMO until I saw this article was Slashdotted. Now here's my reaction to an Open-source Myst MMO:

...
(wets self)

Woohoo! Myst/Uru is not dead!

After we found out about the postponment of MORE and even the cancellation of MOUL, I advocated the Open Source option. I am ecstatic!

I too hope a native Linux client will be forthcoming.

The question is now, what will the license be? GPL? LGPL? A CYAN license?

Woah. Just wow. I've never played Myst, but this got my attention. I'm a programmer...maybe I could take a look at the source and try to contribute content. I've got a lot going on in my life at the moment, but I'll have to try to remember this.

great news! waiting for linux port!

Great news..let me know what kind of help URU need. I will be there just tell me!!

Im soooooo exited

Excited, yet bummmed. I feel this is Cyan's way of waving the towel, without yet throwing it in.

This is the best xmas present ever. Uru Live presented an incredibly immersive world, one that I spent many hours in. I was incredibly disappointed when GameTap dropped it.
Now, we could have multi-platform clients, bringing the world to an even wider audience.
This is the first game where I believed it could only be made better through the use of VR goggles and gloves. I can now still realize that dream :)

oh i can't wait to see my friends and companions in the cavern again(... or at least hoping that i will) im sure that CYAN's trust will not go to waste

Although the idea of an open source MMO based on intellectual property that has proven to be attractive and compelling is great, I'm sceptical.

Everybody would love to -play- this, but who will actually take on the colossal task of organizing the effort? It's not enough to have a few dozen programmers willing to donate coding time and a few dozen more artists willing to create content.

A project like this needs direction, organisation and vision and that's where a lot of open source projects ultimately fail. Who can live up to the demands of this task?

When the source code will be out to public ?

I'm thrilled at this news. All it takes for me is the HOPE that URU will once more be alive and I'm floating on air.

This is a great gift and so appropriate to the season.

Thank you again, Cyan.

cool, where's the svn? :)

As said above. Greatest Christmas present ever. The games were a large part of my childhood and are very important as a teenager.

This will grow in ways that no one at CYAN can predict.

Free the code and open the doors.

The end has not yet been written.

i'd gladly help with any art work you may need!!!! i'm so glad the cavern will re-open!!! Merry Christmas and a Beautiful New Year to all.

The Guilds will help keep things in order. The Called have gathered and
now a new tree has appeared!

Thank You Cyan for a most wonderful
X-Mas gift!

The City will breath again and be restored to its once Grand brillaince with new updated modern day D'ni technology. Shorah!

I see myself running to the top of a building, bursting out on the roof and loudly proclaiming, "The end will NEVER be written! The end will NEVER be written!"

Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!!

What can someone who knows NOTHING about code, do?

The End has been Written, but the Page turns and a new chapter begins.

Great news... Myst Uru is about the last reason to have any Windows capability around. One question though... I'm really not into playing online, at least not so far, but would like to be able to play the basic "Uru Complete" on Linux. Will this be possible, in time, with what has been released. Heck, I could even run my own server and have the whole shootin' match on my own LAN, if needed.