In 1987, brothers Rand Miller and Robyn Miller formed Cyan and created The Manhole, the first entertainment product ever on the new medium of CD-ROM. Cosmic Osmo and Spelunx followed. All were non-intimidating, whimsical worlds for children to explore, and they represented an entirely new kind of entertainment. The products were heralded by reviewers and received innumerable awards, including Best New Use of a Computer by the Software Publishers Association.

In 1991, with the addition of Chuck Carter (artist) and Chris Brandkamp (audio engineer), and funding from Sunsoft of Japan, Cyan began work on Myst, a project that would expand the world of computer entertainment far beyond its current bounds. The goal was to create not only a new world, but a different way of seeing environments, puzzles, and in a bold move, the way people viewed computer games as a whole. The foursome set out to build from scratch a world that took advantage of everything the vast new medium had to offer. The results were staggering as the product continues to reach countless millions of enthusiasts.

Sales for Myst and its sequel Riven exceed 12 million units worldwide, among the best selling computer games in history.