uru-live posts

Over the years we have seen a number of high profile MMO games bit the dust. The Sims Online, Shadowbane, The Maxtrix Online, and Tabula Rasa are just a few examples of titles that tried and failed to find an audience. Until this week we would have also put Myst Online: Uru Live as one of those titles but it seems this game has more lives than a virtual cat.

Cyan Worlds' adventure-themed MMO has already had two lives; as a multiplayer component for Uru: Ages Beyond Myst that didn't get past the beta stage. GameTap revived the game on their service in 2007 but shut it down a year later due to lack of subscribers. Now Cyan has turned Uru Live into an open source game project and have launched a free-to-play server (although they are taking donations). Will this unique way to relaunch an MMO succeed? Good question.

The classic DRM-free PC game web site GoG.com has been adding games from Cyan Worlds' classic Myst series for some time and today they complete their cycle with Uru: Ages Beyond Myst. This title is now being called Uru Complete Chronicles as it adds two expansion packs to the original game.

While designed as a single player adventure game, it was also supposed to be the basis for Uru Online, an MMO game that never got out of beta in its original incarnation. Gametap tried to revive the MMO version but that was also shut down a year after launch. Uru Complete Chronicles is now available for $9.99.

Cyan Worlds, the developers and creators of Myst, have had a brutal 2008. Their online adventure-themed MMO Myst Online: Uru Live was shut down by its publisher Gametap earlier this year and last month Cyan let go of 50 team members who worked as QA testers. However fans of Myst Online have reason to be happy this weekend as the game has now been revived as an open source project.

Yep, you read that right. According to the game's official web site, "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." The developer admits having a game project like this for anyone to tinker with is "scary" but adds, "...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." There's no word on when the files for the game will be released.

[Via Massively]

Myst Online: Uru Live has had a troubled life. First released by Ubisoft, then canceled, revived as a community project, revived under GameTap, and then canceled again. Where does this lead? Well, straight back to the community project stage, it would seem. Cyan Worlds and, more specifically, Rand Miller told the Spokesman Review that they have entered into a deal with GameTap to allow the game to be worked on by the community once again. This is great news for those players who have missed the wondrous D'ni exploration or didn't get a chance to experience the adventure gaming splendor.