Robyn Charles Miller (born August 6, 1966) is the co-founder of
Cyan Worlds (originally Cyan) with brother
Rand Miller
Rand Miller (born January 17, 1959) is a C.E.O. and co-founder of Cyan Worlds . He served as co-designer of the popular computer game ''
Myst
''Myst'' is a graphic adventure/puzzle video game designed by the Miller brothers, Robyn and Rand. It was developed by Cyan, Inc., published by Broderbund, and initially released for the Macintosh in 1993. In the game, the player's character t ...
'', which held the title of best-selling computer game from its release in 1993 until the release of ''
The Sims
''The Sims'' is a series of life simulation video games developed by Maxis and published by Electronic Arts. The franchise has sold nearly 200 million copies worldwide, and it is one of the best-selling video game series of all time.
The games ...
'' seven years later. He also co-directed and co-lead designed the sequel to ''Myst'', ''
Riven
''Riven'' is a Adventure game#Puzzle adventure, puzzle adventure video game. It is the sequel to ''Myst'' and second in the Myst (series), ''Myst'' series of games. Developed by Cyan Worlds, it was initially published by Red Orb Entertainment, a ...
'', which was the best-selling computer game of its year of release, 1997. Miller composed and performed the soundtracks to both games.
He also acted in Myst, portraying one of the antagonists,
Sirrus (with brother and Cyan-cofounder Rand appearing as
Achenar and
Atrus
The Myst (series), ''Myst'' series of adventure computer games deals with the events following the player's discovery of a mysterious book describing an island known as Myst. The book is no ordinary volume; it is a linking book, which serves as ...
).
He co-wrote the first
Myst novel, ''The Book of Atrus''.
After the release of ''Riven'', Miller left Cyan to pursue non-game interests, including films. He is the director of the 2013 film ''
The Immortal Augustus Gladstone''.
Early works
Miller served as a designer on
Cyan Worlds's early games ''
The Manhole
''The Manhole'' is an adventure video game in which the player opens a manhole and reveals a gigantic beanstalk, leading to fantastic worlds.
Summary
The game was first released on floppy disks in 1988 by Cyan, Inc. (now ''Cyan Worlds'') and d ...
'', ''
Cosmic Osmo and the Worlds Beyond the Mackerel
''Cosmic Osmo and the Worlds Beyond the Mackerel'' is a graphic adventure computer game for the Macintosh computer line (Plus, SE, SE/30, II Series, Classic, LC) created by Cyan, Inc. It was published in 1989 and won the 1990 Mac User's Editors' ...
'' and ''
Spelunx
''Spelunx and the Caves of Mr. Seudo'' is an educational computer game intended for young children developed by Cyan (now Cyan Worlds) in 1991.
Gameplay and plot
Spelunx is a first-person point-and-click adventure game. It is structured as a c ...
''.
''Myst'' and ''Riven''
Miller is known for his contributions in the areas of direction and design, especially in the area of visual design—the look and feel of the ''Myst'' and ''Riven'' worlds.
Richard Vander Wende
Richard Vander Wende is an American visual designer and video game designer best known for his work on the 1992 The Walt Disney Company, Disney film ''Aladdin (1992 Disney film), Aladdin'' and the Cyan Worlds computer game ''Riven''.
Career
Van ...
, co-director and co-designer of Riven, was likewise responsible for orchestrating the visual language of that world.
Composer
While at Cyan, Miller composed the soundtracks for both ''Myst'' and ''Riven''.
In 2005 he worked on a musical project named ''Ambo'', with W. Keith Moore.
In December 2013, he released the soundtrack for his debut film ''The Immortal Augustus Gladstone'' in digital format on Gumroad.com.
Miller composed the soundtrack for Cyan's
Kickstarter
Kickstarter is an American public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative projects to life". As of July 2021, ...
-funded video game ''
Obduction
Obduction is a geological process whereby denser oceanic crust (and even upper mantle) is scraped off a descending ocean plate at a convergent plate boundary and thrust on top of an adjacent plate. When oceanic and continental plates converge, ...
'', released in August 2016. This was his first work with Cyan since ''Riven'' in 1997. Initially, he had only intended to appear in the game itself (as C.W., one of the few human characters the player interacts with), and had outright said he would not do the soundtrack. After persuasion by his brother Rand, as well as seeing the work being done on the game, he eventually agreed to compose the game's music as well as appear in the game. He stated in an interview that he enjoyed focusing solely on composing, as opposed to the additional production work he had done for ''Myst'' and ''Riven''.
Director
Miller's debut film project is a
fictional documentary
A mockumentary (a blend of ''mock'' and ''documentary''), fake documentary or docu-comedy is a type of film or television show depicting fictional events but presented as a documentary.
These productions are often used to analyze or comment on ...
film titled ''
The Immortal Augustus Gladstone'', a story about a man who believes himself to be a vampire.
Discography
Solo albums:
*''
Myst: The Soundtrack'' (1995)
*''
Riven: The Soundtrack'' (1998)
*''The Immortal Augustus Gladstone - Soundtrack'' (2013)
*''
Obduction - Original Game Soundtrack'' (2016)
*''Obduction Redacted - B Sides'' (EP, 2016)
*''Little Potato'' (2017)
As a member of Ambo:
*''1000 Years and 1 Day'' (2005)
*''Ambo – Day Two - B-Sides'' (EP, 2005)
Filmography
See also
*
List of ambient music artists
This is a list of ambient music artists. This includes artists who have either been very important to the genre or have had a considerable amount of exposure (such as those who have been on a major label). This list does not include little-known ...
References
External links
Main sites
*
Official blog*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Robyn Millerprofile at
OverClocked ReMix
OverClocked ReMix, also known as OC ReMix and OCR, is a non-commercial organization dedicated to preserving and paying tribute to video game music through arranging and re-interpreting the songs, both with new technology and software and by vari ...
Robyn Millerat
VGMdb
*
Articles and other
Robyn Millerarticle at
Wired magazine
''Wired'' (stylized as ''WIRED'') is a monthly American magazine, published in print and online magazine, online editions, that focuses on how emerging technologies affect culture, the economy, and politics. Owned by Condé Nast, it is headquar ...
''Riven'' coverat
Wired magazine
''Wired'' (stylized as ''WIRED'') is a monthly American magazine, published in print and online magazine, online editions, that focuses on how emerging technologies affect culture, the economy, and politics. Owned by Condé Nast, it is headquar ...
''Land of Point''website (archive)
interview at
Feed Magazine
''Feed'' or ''feedmag.com'' (1995–2001) was one of the earliest online magazines that relied entirely on its original content.
History
''Feed'' was founded in New York by Stefanie Syman and Steven Johnson in May 1995, with novelist Sam Li ...
(archive)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Miller, Robyn
1966 births
Living people
American male video game actors
American video game designers
Video game composers
Virgin Records artists
People from Dallas