14 DAY TRIAL // It seems that the troubled online world of Uru might be in for a revival. It would be the third one since the multiplayer experience initially went live. Uru is based on the almost legendary Myst game created by Cyan Worlds in 1993, which spawned a lucrative series of five other games, two of them being published by Ubisoft. Now, Cyan is saying that it has gotten the rights to the online component of the game world back from GameTab and has the intention to re-launch it.
One of the tie-in games in the series, called Uru: Ages Beyonf Myst, initially launched a multiplayer section where you could customize an avatar, set out in a 3D rendered world to discover and then understand the legacy of the fallen D'ni civilization. The multiplayer element was quickly canceled in 2004 and the developers cited "lack of player interest" as the main cause.
However, the fans kept the game alive through private servers and with the tacit approval of Cyan Worlds. No new content was added and bugs un-fixed, but the game remained playable.
In early 2007, Myst Online: Uru Live was developed by Cyan and released through GameTap, bringing a true multiplayer experience back to the fans of the series. However, the service was again discontinued in early 2008, as GameTab declared that the project did not attract enough players to become profitable.
Apparently, the deal between Cyan Worlds and GameTap involves no fees being paid now, but if the re-launched game attracts players and makes a profit, GameTap will be compensated. The game is expected to be online soon, with a subscription fee of 25 dollars for six months of play. There's talk of getting the players themselves involved in development, with an option for them to add new content to the game.