Fans of Myst Online: Uru Live should know that the VP of Content and Creative Director for GameTap, Ricardo Sanchez, has just released an open letter to the community announcing the shutdown of the game's servers in 60 days. Before you get angry at the company for doing so, you might want to read the reasons for this decision. You can find that and more in the full article.

GameTap has announced that Familiar Voices, the newest Myst Online: Uru Live episode, is launching today. With Familiar Voices, players can continue the journey they began back when the game first launched early this year.

"Since launching in February, Myst Online continues to be one of our top titles at GameTap," said Ricardo Sanchez, VP of Content and Creative Director for GameTap. "One of the strengths of the game is the commitment of the community, whose interaction and feedback has a direct impact on the direction of these new episodic segments."

Familiar Voices will bring more new puzzles, content and Ages - just like the episodes that came before it. The never-before-seen Age of Jalak will also be debuting in Familiar Voices. Jalak features an ancient arena that was once used for D'ni competitions, and perhaps the coolest thing about it is that will allow players to compete and even create their own games.

Myst Online: Uru Live is also available for Macs.

GameTap today announced the latest episode for Myst Online: Uru Live. Called "A New Light", this new installment will pick up right where last month's "Scars" left off.

Story-wise, A New Light brings a shift in power to the game as old leaders begin to fade and new ones begin to emerge. More and more people are also fearing the possibility of a coming war, and the new Age Er'Cana is released and explorers are asked to help feed the darkening lake.

Of course, since this is a Myst title after all, players will see more challenging mysteries and puzzles - and rewards - in A New Light. This latest Myst Online: Uru Live episode will debut on June 23, so you Myst fans out there should have plenty to keep you occupied through the weekend.

We like Uru Live if only for the sheer entertainment value of saying Uru again and again. Try it. You'll feel like a... well, you'll feel something. Results vary, y'know. Anyway, those waiting for Myst Online: Uru Live, get your pens and mark your calendars. GameTap has finally announced that the game's highly anticipated debut will be on February 15.

Currently in beta release, the Myst Online: Uru Live preview storyline continues to showcase new content for fans of the Myst franchise on an almost daily basis, and when the game is released, another never-before seen world will also make its debut. The new Age will feature an intricate, yet easily engaging, all-new multiplayer puzzle for players to solve.

Myst Online: Uru Live will be available to GameTap subscribers in the U.S. and Canada. It will also be made available for direct download at Gametap.com to international consumers living in select countries around the world. You can also check out the list of international launch countries at the link above.

Great news to all GameTap subscribers, you can now have an all-exclusive sneak peek and access to the final stage of Myst Online: Uru Live's beta!

Oh yes, you got that right. GameTap subscribers will now be able to have a glimpse of the game waaay before its official launch early next year. And to celebrate this announcement, they have also released a trailer on the game's site, which gives us a glimpse into the realms of the Myst universe. If you check out Uru Live's website now, you'll see that they've also put up a list of Myst co-creator Rand Miller's top 10 favorite GameTap titles, and a feature that shows the making of Uru Live which takes users behind the scenes of their favorite game.

You can now check out the Myst Online: Uru Live website by clicking on the "Read" link below. Have fun!

Remember Cyan World's Myst? Remember how it almost pushed through only it sort of fell just before launch? Well, with the inception of GameTap an online subscription based game service with classic titles and current episodic gaming content, Uru's been given new life.

IGN managed to get an interview with Rand Miller, it's a bit lengthy, but what's nice is that it mostly talks about the connections between Myst Online, and it's legacy.

Here be the pertinent bits:

When asked about the connection between Myst Online and the established series, and how the new game will connect fans of the old game to the established history, Miller had this to say:

There are things that will resonate and things that are different. Uru is a spin-off from the Myst storyline. The family from the original storyline had a very definite beginning and end interacting with this amazing culture. What was always left open was what the culture was. What was that culture? How did they have books of such power? How did that affect them? Can I go there? In many ways, when we decided to do Uru, we were throwing back the curtain that kept things hidden for so long.

Let's not do this in the past. Let's not tell a story that's already been told. Let's make it now. This is what would happen if the story was absolutely true, an underground empire was there just as the story laid it out. Now you can get there and find that things are still alive and things are still happening. Instead of being portrayed as history, you're part of what happens.

So just how will Uru bridge the gap between Adventure gaming and MMOs? Well, according to Miller, the very core of Uru is the idea of ownership. As you explore "Ages" and places, you become owner of an instance of that Age. Every time you use a book it appears on a bookshelf in a very personal space, and the state of things in there will be as you left them.

Of course this time, you can choose to invite people to go in with you and have a team of people explore these ages on a regular basis and share. Of course since you're the "owner" you control access to them and you can explore them on your own if you like.

Get the rest of the article after the Jump!