Myst dev Cyan Worlds lays off more staff

Cyan Worlds, the acclaimed studio behind adventure games Myst and Riven, revealed today that it has laid off more staff in the second round of job losses in 2025. It didn’t disclose exactly how many staff had been laid off, but updated a contact sheet to reflect those of its staff who were still in need of work.

The studio previously laid off 12 staff members in March, which amounted to around half of its staff. In a statement issued at the time, leadership said they were in “a tricky spot where we are having to weigh the future of our studio against the month-to-month realities of game development in 2025.” They also stated they were offering severance packages to those who had been laid off.