Rand Miller - The Uru Project

The Uru Project

During the almost seven-year-long Uru project, Miller faced the Internet as a new way to stay in contact with Myst's large fan base, but also as a risky business: in interviews before the Uru launch, he kept stressing the importance of the then-growing broadband internet access market, following the general optimism and expecting Uru Live to be the one integral part of the game. Maybe out of necessity, he remained positive about using Live as a "never-ending" place, with frequently-added and changed content and a community in the hundreds of thousands to "live" in it.

Miller appeared shocked by Uru Live's ultimate failure, as reflected in his letter to the Uru Live community, which he wrote to explain why the game had to be shut down for an indefinite amount of time. In a previous interview, Miller had stated that finance from outside investment, not technology, was the reason for the failed project, "I think the biggest failure was running out of money, and thus running out of time, and thus losing control of our own destiny. No matter what promises are made or common goals are agreed upon, whoever pays the bills has the final say." Despite the earlier setback, Cyan Worlds announced in Los Angeles at E3 2006 that they would be partnering with GameTap to bring Uru Live to life again. On February 15, 2007, Myst Online: Uru Live was released. Miller himself has made some appearances in the "Bevins" - the common neighborhoods where players congregate - on at least two occasions.