Uru: Ages Beyond Myst

Uru: Ages Beyond MystDistributed by
Ubisoft

Posted: May 10th, 2003.

Next MYST Saga to Offer Both Offline Single-Player Experience and EvolvingOnline Persistent World

Ubi Soft Entertainment, one of the world’s largest videogame publishers, andCyan Worlds, Inc., developers of the legendary Myst® and Riven(tm), todayannounced more details about Uru(tm): Ages Beyond MYST®, the eagerly-awaitedgame for the PC that combines an all new addition to the legendary MYSTfranchise with the power of the Internet. Uru is the latest chapter in theMYST series – one of the most widely recognized game brands in history, withmore than 12 million units sold worldwide. It is scheduled to launch forlate 2003.

Uru, from the creators of the original MYST and Riven, represents a newgeneration of adventure games. In Uru, you’ll not only spend hoursdiscovering vast, visually arresting worlds and solving mind-challengingpuzzles, but by subscribing to Uru Live, you’ll also take part in a uniquesocial experience within an ever-expanding world.

“Uru is a revolutionary adventure game that takes the best qualities of theMYST franchise and makes them even better. The single-player experiencewill eclipse the beauty, grandeur and mind-challenging elements of previoustitles. Plus, with the option to join a constantly updated, onlineuniverse, the adventure never has to end,” said Rand Miller, founder of CyanWorlds. “From new machines and puzzles to special events and entirely newAges, players will find more to do, more to see, and more to explore eachtime they return – and this time, they can discover everything with old andnew friends.”

With Uru, players will have the opportunity to explore and interact withmeticulously crafted 3D environments in, around and beyond the newlydiscovered underground D’ni empire that predates human civilization onEarth. Intuitive and easy to play, Uru will appeal to gamers of all agesand skill levels. An intriguing storyline unfolds as players exploresurreal environments, gather clues, solve puzzles, play mini-games, andunlock new areas to investigate. In addition to the single-playerexperience, subscribers to the online universe will be able to join andcreate small neighborhoods, embark on adventures with friends and join thecrowd in the sprawling D’ni city – while using real-time voice chat tocommunicate with each other.

“Ten years ago, MYST brought gaming to the masses. By using cutting-edgetechnology to reinvent adventure gaming, we’re making sure that Uru willappeal to a broad audience that includes long-time fans of the series,casual gamers, and devotees of both single-player and online games,” saidTony Kee, vice president of marketing for Ubi Soft Entertainment. “And justas MYST broke new ground when it first appeared, Uru is a revolutionaryadventure game that combines the amazing features of the more traditionalsingle-player game with a stunning, surreal, ‘never-the-same-thing-twice,’persistent online universe.”

URU: BACKGROUND
The story of the D’ni civilization began when they established theirunderground empire on Earth some 10,000 years ago. While living beneath theEarth’s surface, the D’ni practiced a technology called the “Art of Writing”to create links to incredible alternate worlds of fantastic variety called”Ages,” to which they could travel through “Linking Books.” During thattime, a group of D’ni traveled to the surface of what is now southern NewMexico, connecting our world and theirs.

The D’ni people below thrived for thousands of years, but later met with agreat catastrophe that ended their civilization. The vast underground citiesof the D’ni were left uninhabited and their Linking Book technology seemedlost forever – until now.

PC users will be able to enjoy Uru: Ages Beyond Myst. Owners of the boxedgame will be able to subscribe to Uru Live through ubi.com, one of theworld’s top ten gaming portals. Pricing and other details for both theboxed product and Uru Live are not yet available.