[Interview] Acting and Character Motion Capture in Riven

A few key folks from Cyan's from-the-ground-up remake of Riven (shipping in 2024!) talk about the actors and motion capture of character performances for the game.
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Riven is launching simultaneously on flatscreen and VR platforms later this year.
Riven is a meticulous, from-the-ground-up remake of the historic puzzle adventure game Riven: The Sequel to Myst (1997) developed for a new generation of players on Unreal Engine 5.
Wishlist Riven now on Steam and GOG!
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Learn more: cyan.com/games...

[@rockmanhunter]

I absolutely love the fact that Riven world is not only back, but also expanded.

[@henrywalton5967]

I know!!! I've always wanted to find out new things about Riven and had accepted that wouldn't be possible but now it is going to be 🤯

[@rockmanhunter]

@@henrywalton5967 There were so many "corners" that we could only see and not visit. Now our favorite world is gonna be richer.

[@KororaPenguin]

​@@rockmanhunter Maybe we'll finally get to visit the East Path? Maybe see around Tay a bit more?

[@rockmanhunter]

@@KororaPenguin East Path, Gehn's Lab, the forest [I've always felt It's much bigger], the native Village, etc. Maybe we'll be able to walk on Tay a bit more. I can't wait.

[@grams18]

I think the iconic "Tree - Rebel Age Tay" was also never accessable. Would be cool if we could go there as well.

[@nexus3180]

Riven was and has been the best game Cyan made, can't wait for this new version.

[@retrobutiongames202]

The puzzles: 😰 The story and atmosphere: 🥹❤️

[@ChristophBrinkmann]

I prefer Uru over Riven but they were all great games and I'm glad this remake is being made

[@youtubeaccount2302]

Riven is so precious to me that at first I was worried to hear about it being changed or expanded in any way. But then I remembered - this is Cyan, they made Riven. They’ll treat it right.

[@NeoRazor]

And then you remember that Cyan also made realMyst...and Myst 5 😬

[@eucalyptblaze]

Not only is it Cyan - it’s literally the same three creatives (Rand & Robyn Miller, Richard Vander Wende) reunited for the first time since Riven!

[@retrobutiongames202]

@@eucalyptblazeWait, Robyn Miller will return? That will make Riven even better😊❤

[@woulfhound]

Its precious to me too buddy. I'm still worried that the two new actors are just fans getting their little awards to be in their favorite game and not actually adding much in return. I really hope those two are up to the task and don't end up stealing the show.

[@Eisenwald64]

I hope Keston's singing will be in this version.

[@joshallen128]

Keston passed away sad

[@monkeywithocd]

@@joshallen128 They could still include it in some way regardless.

[@joshallen128]

@@monkeywithocd I forgot I wonder if they still have the old footage preserved, and turning it into 3d

[@henrywalton5967]

New easteregg to get it would be great haha

[@WarmasterJoshmaul]

@@joshallen128 I think they said outright in this very video that they at least have the audio, but a Game Informer interview at the beginning of the month indicated that they were combining the original performance, the way he spoke particularly, with the more full-body motion of the mo-cap. That was my main concern about this, given the whole brouhaha from the models in the remade Myst - when I heard that Riven was getting remade as well, my first thought was "I hope they do the character models justice, especially for Gehn; John Keston deserves that much." The picture from that interview is somewhat reassuring.

[@kalkstein2694]

Now, after the release, I NEED a behind the scenes video where we can see the actors play out their roles irl, especially the actors behind Aitrus and Ti'ana

[@EricGranata]

Oh dang. More lore! I read the novels a million years ago and really loved them.

[@peter7433]

I am still skeptical of the use of 3d models instead of real video for the characters. Myst and Riven were so realistic and convincing because of the real people. Hope it will prove me wrong.

[@XXLoderunnerXX]

Also skeptical based on the model quality of characters in the Myst remake. The option for fmv as an AI up sample from the original videos would be nice. However, if the model quality can be pulled off this time, with good facial capture, I'll be happy to admit I'm wrong.

[@kemanorel3110]

@@XXLoderunnerXX But also consider the model quality of the character we saw in Firmament, which was at a vastly higher standard than the Myst remake's.I'm I'm really not terribly worried here.

[@DevelopingHell]

@@kemanorel3110 they have meta human now, so they might be ok

[@Dysiode]

I LOVE the documentary aspect of this, it just feels so Cyan! I am so ready to dive back into Riven! This time I'll beat it for sure! Gonna bring my best friend along with, taking notes in a journal the whole way

[@sandrafaith]

I did the audio version of a double take at that!!

[@rogamur]

I was always amazed that just two brothers with a small team were behind the Myst & Riven blockbusters. Still small...reaching higher. Amazing!

[@scoovy9170]

Riven Remake: Now with Funky Mode!

[@Xenia-E-Zilli]

Rand as Atrus, again ! The unforgettable voice in an unforgettable game.

[@MrNightLifeLover]

Tried it today and expected a remake of a game that I played as a teen. First I noticed the great graphics, then noticed that some details have changed. A while later I also noticed that you also expanded the original game. Love it!

[@CourtneyMermaid]

I’m so over the moon excited!!

[@amarug]

All of this new Riven stuff really brings tears (of joy) to my eyes ❤

[@agahnim0196]

I can't wait to see the characters integrated in that wonderful world.

[@zigorously]

This is really exciting, and I'm so glad they're matching/updating the original performances AND adding new stuff! I'm guessing right now that for our two new actors here, we'll see flashbacks to a younger Atrus and Katran during the end of The Book of Atrus. Could be wayyy off, but it'd be cool!

[@Adreitz7]

That would be great! But I think it's more likely that they play Moiety members. Hard to convincingly do a flashback with a first-person game (that doesn't include mental/temporal gymnastics in its worldbuilding). I still want to see Riven's living tree and Katran's torus world as described in the book.

[@jebwu8648]

Everyone knew it would not have been Riven without the original actors looks and style. We are all really happy that they where preserved, real people make the world feel so so much more real. Ai generated faces really doesn't cut it. Great work continue like that!

[@SomeKindaSpy]

My gosh I am beyond excited. I grew up with the Myst series, it was a source of a ton of imagination and intrigue. I'm so happy to see this.

[@rknowling]

This sounds absolutely phenomenal, and incredibly exciting! Thankyou so much Rand, the Riven Team, and everyone at Cyan! ❤

[@williehall7727]

Really looking forward to seeing hour this turns out after playing the 2021 Myst remake. Also, for those of you who have access to a headset, I highly recommend checking out the 7th Guest VR remake, if only for the incredible job they did with full-performance motion capture using volumetric video. VR + motion capture makes me really excited (and a little hopeful) for the future of 1st person adventure games.

[@tombot5000]

I was astounded by the way they did the characters in that game!

[@williehall7727]

@@tombot5000 Totally. As a adventure game, specifically as a puzzle-heavy adventure game, I don't think 7th Guest holds a candle compared to anything in Cyan's catalogue, but the remake's 3D character work floored me the first time I say it. Here's hoping that, one day, someone does something along those lines with The Last Express.

[@danielswood]

I was so disappointed with not being able to play the new 7th guest as I don't have the gear. Ever since playing it a few centuries ago, whenever I'm trying solutions to puzzles in games, I have that gloriously sarcastic 'That's not it.' voice in my head. 😀

[@temite80]

Looking forward to seeing the expanded narrative! Thanks Cyan.

[@thekookymonkey]

Oh man...that day when playing Riven for the first time back in 1997....i was really sucked into the world of Riven ! Now as a 51 yrs old i still play Riven with that same feeling 🙏💖

[@carolinemcnulty6169]

This is so exciting. Riven was a superlative game.

[@nicolebaker7534]

This seems more and more interesting with each new video

[@Jansenbaker]

So does this mean this game will be the first time moving, CGI characters are in a Cyan game? I played through Obduction recently, and the only 3D modeled characters were dead aliens on the ground. Everyone else was footage. It will be interesting to see this game explore these things. Edit: I just remembered there were moving beetles in Obduction. So apart from that, I mean. Edit 2: Ok, people can stop telling me I'm wrong. I only actually got to play the original Myst through a port on Nintendo DS, and I haven't played anything else Cyan besides the aforementioned Obduction. I assumed they mostly remained the same between the 2 titles I played. I have seen brief things from each game, and it's been years since that, so I may have forgotten something. Hopefully I'll get a capable computer one day.

[@trapez77]

No

[@AttacMage]

the Myst remake had CGI characters as well.

[@thomasgraf1986]

Myst V and Uru both had 3d characters as well. Although, obviously much older tech!

[@trapez77]

Ages beyond myst, and myst 5

[@LittleWeevil]

There was one alien in Obduction that was alive, laying on the ground but alive and breathing, gesturing things to you in Maray. Also in Myst 2021 they had cgi models replace the fmv videos, but later they added the option to have the fmv videos instead (except for Atrus)

[@PipBin]

if the characters and mechanics dont fit into the grounded world of Riven, then itlll be a shame. I really hope that they manage to make the characters real. bumping into the real child in the woodlands, or having real moiety actors interact in the original made an almost reaistic world real.

[@shivaray_]

For me, the decision to put characters in 3D has been a mistake. For those who have played the original game this smacks you in the face.

[@sir_christmas_leopold_duckson]

I'm really happy to see Riven being re-done. When we bought our first family PC in 1995, it came bundled with a copy of Myst and I fell in love with it. I can still remember the devastation when dad bought us Riven for Christmas in '97 and we realized the hard way that our hard drive was too small to install it. We had to sit on it for a while till dad upgraded us to a new computer. 😅

[@MarkaRagnos777]

I can't wait to see what you guys come up with! Really great to see the old actors and performances preserved while expanding with the game itself!

[@JoeSmith-fw2jg]

Exciting stuff! It's going to be great to see all of the work from the Starry Expanse team finally come to fruition. And it's so great that Richard came back to Cyan to work on this with Rand, Robyn and the whole team...

[@sherwinie]

I've been playing these games since 1993 when I was in high school on a Mac Color Classic. Can't wait to play this new version of Riven.

[@glitchy000]

I LOVE you're going full FMV. That is the iconic Cyan style!

[@GraemeGunn]

I LOVE the lore behind Myst - more than the games, really. I could hear/read about it all day.

[@ChristophBrinkmann]

Hoping the Age cut out of the last remake of Myst is added here. I enjoyed the little reveal from the previous remake set in the snowy area as one last thing to do after freeing Atrus

[@Visuwyg]

Good solution using the og audio with performance capture imo.

[@MichaelM28]

Why? The audio quality will be really bad

[@agahnim0196]

@@MichaelM28 Not if they still have the original recordings.

[@henrywalton5967]

​@@MichaelM28the audio I'm the origin Riven is honestly great, we donte need to worry about that

[@alexandercaldwell1411]

John Keston (RIP) WAS Gehn; no other performance could capture that character's pathos and ego. If they can preserve his performance, even if just his voice and virtual likeness, then the remake will be all the better for it.

[@Goland454]

What made Riven so unique was not only the gorgeous world that immediately captivates you but Atrus talking to you & interacting with live actors throughout the game and It just makes it that much more immersive. A silly as Night trap is and as fun as Double Switch is, the full motion video is what really makes it special

[@NyteRazor]

The rail rides blew me away since I've never experienced anything like that in a game back then. They're probably be even more immersive.

[@agahnim0196]

I'm not a big VR guy, but i'll surely be dusting off my headset just for those rides :D

[@Stoyon]

I may actually get into VR for this game, depending on what headset will be used.

[@Omega-EP]

@@Stoyon Rarely a good idea to buy a full console for one game, granted I did so with Gran Turismo 7, and I admit, it was worth it.

[@collins9765]

can't wait :)

[@retrobutiongames202]

Now you don’t have to worry about 3 clicks to open a door behind you😂. Just be yourself and move around naturally. But the charm of the point and click is still amazing to this day that I won’t complain if they make an option as well

[@DanTheHitman]

Date please! I cannot wait for this! 😍😍😍

[@jamesstraus7767]

I cannot believe they not only remade the game but added full new content. Take my money damnit!

[@zenithquasar9623]

I am so excited. The teaser looked incredible and accurate to the original. I am about to pass out with excitement lol

[@cubicinfinity]

It's cool to have "real riven" finally become real.

[@HiddenStrengthTimelapseDrawing]

Thank you, everyone at Cyan, for sharing this video with us! Really excited to return to the Ages of Riven, Tay, and "233". 👍🏾

[@MysterClark]

The Myst Universe, and especially Riven seems to be the only thing that can still take my breath away. I've always considered myself a gigantic Star Wars nerd but I don't feel as excited about that stuff coming out anymore as I did 20 years ago. But the Myst Universe (and especially Riven (my all-time favorite game)) feels like it's fresh still. Like I'm still there experiencing it for the first time. It just excites me like no other. Is it possible for a person to marry an intellectual property? Because I would. :D

[@SeanRussell87]

Ehrmahgerd I’m soo excited!

[@marcusarelius]

I hope we get a physical release with the original box art also enhanced and reproduced

[@MichaelM28]

Doubt it if it's a PC exclusive

[@alex-internetlubber]

5 discs lol

[@henrywalton5967]

​@@alex-internetlubberI swear people would pay for that, nostalgia is a powerful thing haha

[@ponyphonic]

They could release a box, but just be aware that the physical release for Firmament didn't actually include the game inside.

[@Ephisus]

Whoa

[@gtyb78yy5]

Amazing!!

[@jal2550]

Soooo glad i held off replaying Riven a few years ago in the hopes it would get the Myst treatment (remakes, etc).....Cant wait of this game! BTW, thank GOD Cyan did not go the route of removing the actors and replacing them with cartoons like they did with one of the Myst remasters/remakes. I can't begin to describe how much I loathed that change!

[@doltBmB]

That's a man.

[@thatdesignfeelgaming]

Keston confirmed! ❤🎉❤

[@Omega-EP]

I'm confused. In the Remake Demo there are animated NPCs instead of real-time recorded characters, but I suppose this will be changed with the full release then? No, wait. The actors' and actresses' performances will be portrayed in the animated NPCs. Did I get that right?

[@chrisfratz]

Yes. The actors you see on camera here had their performances captured digitally with motion capture and their faces captured with iPhones.

[@Mike-jv8bv]

my biggest critique after playing this was the choic e they made in using 3d models with mocap. It would of been far better to remaster the original filmed footage of live actors and composited them into the game giving that much richer feel. We never see enough live acting in videogames anymore if none at all. and it should be brought back as it gives you a quality you cannot recreate in 3d. But even so knowing that this game was done in Unreal there is a likely possibility that a mod will be made doing just that. i'm curious to see. also i've seen comparisons to the original game, there is some areas that are lacking a bit of lighting BUT this could be from the video i watched having HDR enabled and some settings toned down. I will revisit those areas and see if the lighting could be improved.

[@TrynePlague]

I finished them all when I was younger, except the very first Myst. I have the latest version sitting on my steam wishlist, just waiting for Riven to be released so I can enjoy them back to back. I do hope that we'll also get a remake of 3 and 4. Even Uru would be nice, I liked that weird game.

[@tokyo_taxi7835]

Any time I see a new featurette I get more and more excited!

[@PerfectHandProductions]

So we're going with rendered characters as opposed to captured footage this time. Interesting.

[@scottpatrickvest]

still worried about the cgi :(

wooohooooo! yes! more cyan games in the myst multiverse! Bring it!

[@icesnake90]

I love classic Riven so much. This remaster looks very gorgeous in full 3d and also is very faithful to the visuals of the original game. I cant wait to stuck trying to figure out the fire marble puzzle again, hehe. Release date when?

[@karmaduq]

wEHN

[@Yoctopory]

Thank god you have returned!!!

[@GabrielJanich]

Will there be a physical version of Riven?

[@jericosha2842]

3d models will probably sour this for me. I'm so excited for the game though.

[@TheBikerDad]

Every glimpse I get behind the scenes makes me more impressed with the work Cyan has put into this. My excitement has grown leaps and bounds.

[@AtrusDesign]

I sincerely wish you success Rend… Atrus, and all your team. I saw the demo on a Steamdeck and I was mesmerized once again! I am really excited and I’ll look forward to see it in VR!!!

[@hungrypuppy7491]

I'm still waiting to hear if Cyan intends to release versions for other platforms... Xbox, specifically.

[@werothegreat]

Ronan Farrow being a MYST fan is a delight I didn't know I needed to learn today.

[@ericclaptonsrobotpilot7276]

Hell yeah dude. This is gonna rock.

[@antoniobahler5221]

I've been a huge fan since Myst. Following it all the way to Uru, stellar ghost server game by the way. Then to play Myst VR was mind blowing. Rand Miller you are king. The game you made is time classic and before it's time realized. This game was always meant to be VR. Thank You for this treasure.

[@sungoddiss]

Should I play Myst before Riven? I have played Uru, over and over, and loved it. thanks.

[@Wiiguy1606]

I technically have access to Real mist on Nintendo switch around 20 20. I hope this riven remake will eventually come to consoles. If not Nintendo switch then at least PlayStation 5

[@sandrafaith]

I could still kick myself for not ordering Catherine's dress way back in the day...

[@OriionCygnus]

My question is.. will the Spyder eastereggs make it into this version? Also, last time I saw Rand he had that ponytail. Odd to see him without it. The passion for the craft is apparent in all the team. Cant wait.

[@simpsonyellow]

I don't remember the last time I was this excited about a game release. I am so looking forward to visiting Riven again.

[@Mike-jv8bv]

other than that the renderings and the team that did the enviornments did a banger of a job, it's crazy to see how real time rendering now looks way better and more sophisticated than renderings did in the late 90's. My god how far we've come in technology.

[@Plecofish97]

I really hope the characters will turn their heads to maintain eye contact this time. The way the characters in Myst VR and Firmament looked in the same place no matter where you stood made it feel like you were just watching animatronics go through their routine.

[@seleniticdawn]

You say excerpt. Please tell me the game is going to be filled with additional content like commentary and behind the scenes footage!

[@Stevexupen]

we've come so far from 3 frame per second wireframe 3D editor in original myst to seeing live result of mocap performance huh

[@gkf411]

Will be interesting to see if the CG characters are good. FMV was always a big draw for me with these games.

[@Siaynoq8]

RIP Sheila Goold As a teenager I had a huge crush on Catherine back in the day.

[@KevinCatolster]

Really didn't have Ronan Farrow showing up in Riven on my bingo card this year.

[@tengunomori]

Aww I hope there's an easter egg tribute to both John Keston and Sheila Goold in the game.

[@theviewerofart]

I hope that it's been an easier production cycle than the first time you made Riven!

[@kxmode]

I played the first Myst back in the day. I remember standing in a Price Club line [as Costco was then known] in 1992 holding my copy of Myst and a CD-ROM to play it. However, for reasons unclear, I never played Riven or any of the follow-up Myst games. I am so looking forward to this one. I really hope you'll remake all the Myst games.

[@TheNefariousFox]

Favorite games development company. Hands down.

[@ItsDanBoy]

really hoped they had opted for volumetric video for characters. It's the only thing that feel s authentically myst to me

[@KingThrillgore]

It was really out of place in Obduction.

[@isaiahkowcun1662]

Exactly what I was thinking. It was done so well in The 7th Guest VR.

[@SamMaddie2]

I agree it would've been ideal. That said, after seeing the preview of Gehn's model they published in Game Informer's article, I'm no longer worried about how it'll look (especially compared with the character models in the Myst remake)

[@not28]

I'm so excited to play this again. Still in my top 10 games

[@somerandomcommenter5823]

Not a "wish list" but rather a "gonna get no matter what list"!!

[@Saintmadman]

Hey guys, love what you do. I am a Russian & German native speaker. I speak English fluently. If you need any (non-professional) help (voice acting, translation, ...), I'll gladly do my part. Just let me know. Love you, V.

[@burchi1]

Leider wird es nur deutsche Untertitel geben.😢

[@Dwainecurtis2001]

Hoping they would remake 3 and 4.

[@pedestrianandroid]

They need to remake Myst 4 and 5 because I can’t play them on a Mac and I am sad 😢. Riven was great !

[@MichaelM28]

Lol who the hell plays games on mac? 😂😂😂

[@mackit]

@@MichaelM28Cyan started out making games for the Mac, and has always made their games compatible with Mac!

[@Adreitz7]

@@MichaelM28 Open-minded people.

[@maniccporcupine]

It's weird cause I remember playing them both on an old G4 Mac

[@pedestrianandroid]

It said you had to have “bit” or something and the new Mac don’t have it. I got the stream all myst game. I’m also reading the Book of Atrus, it’s not bad

[@nickthebluemonkey1149]

Hearing Rand's voice transported me right back to playing Myst.. I so hope we see more expansion of the story of the D'Ni....

[@alex-internetlubber]

I still basically see Rand as Atrus. Doesn't occur to me he's a software developer. He's just "the guy from the intro" (And one of the brothers in Myst but never mind that)

[@stonaraptor8196]

What about the original Sheila Goold Catherine cutscenes? Is it possible to preserve her performance in the remake?

[@MK-cx4wf]

Sheila Goold sadly passed back in 2017. Unless they had enough archival footage of her performance to work it into the remaster, I highly doubt it.

[@gabrielwolffe]

OK; I thought I was excited with the gameplay footage drop yesterday! But new backstory content?! I didn't think I could get any more hyped for this game, but here we are! (Also, is that the same Faro from the Unwritten RPG campaign "Strange Seeds"?)

[@Classic_DM]

Richard is back. HELL YES.

[@AskMeWhen]

So excited for this I’m like a little kid!

[@c-shepard]

I'm really excited for this. As big of a project as Riven was for it's time it could always have had more story driven content and depth. Thanks Cyan for realizing this opportunity and acting out on it.

[@dentReviews]

Make us proud!!!