Early Monday morning, we headed to Cyan. Fans who have seen pictures of the Cyan office posted on their web site will recognize the most interesting and obvious detail about the front of the building: an arch of brick above the front "drawbridge" that looks like it was ripped from above the front doors.

It's a very interesting detail about the building, and sets the stage for the creative environment the Cyan team has created for itself.
The inside of the Cyan office building is even more interesting. The first thing we did after being introduced to several members of the Cyan team was to get a tour of the building. One of the first areas we were shown was a collection of Riven advertisements from all over the world.

This was fascinating because many of the marketing images and techniques we were used to seeing in the United States and Canada are very different from the marketing used in Europe and Asia. As this image shows, the display included posters, store displays, different packaging, promotional bundles and even a few renderings we hadn't seen before. One of the most impressive items was a poster used to market Riven in Japan. It simply showed a wide open eye looking through a crack in a rock wall. Reflecting off the iris was a rendering from Survey Island. Quite a different look.

The basic layout of the Cyan office is that the upper, entry level floor is used for business, marketing, and programming. Our tour included the offices of Rand, RAWA, Al Carlson, and Mark DeForest (who unfortunately was out of town at the time.) Several of the cubicles upstairs are now vacant, but were previously used by the Sunsoft team who worked at Cyan to develop the Playstation version of Riven.

"What was it like to walk across that drawbridge and into the front door of Cyan? In a way, it was strangely familiar," said Doug. "There are details about design of the Cyan building which are similar to the design and feeling you get while visiting Riven. Not only that, but we were able to see several of the original props and costumes used in the game. (We'll discuss these in a later report.) Another interesting item on this floor which caught my attention was a framed copy of 'Riviablo' series from the comic Foxtrot, personally signed by Bill Amend for the Cyan team."

"I was amazed at the design of the building," commented Gordon. "They truly have a unique working environment. The layout of the gardens around CYAN Headquarters plus the overall feel of the place was awesome. I particularly liked the rock work and the waterfall in the back. I share Doug's feelings about the RIVEN marketing program used in Japan. You really get a feel for how international RIVEN is and the incredible global appeal. Everyone at CYAN was so approachable and friendly. The atmosphere was something special."