Dune: Awakeningis an open world MMO that takes players to the sands of Arrakis, and The Game Awards show has just premiered a first glimpse into its breathtaking in-game footage. Developed by Funcom, known for deliveringonline experiences such asConan ExilesandThe Secret World,Dune: Awakeningrepresents the company’s take on Frank Herbert’s iconic universe. The game was initially announced in August 2022, but up until The Game Awards not much was known about the project beyond its basic concept.
Dune: Awakeningis a survival game, first and foremost, as it marries the creativity and grittiness of its genre with the sprawling scale and social aspects of an MMO. Funcom’s foray into survival games throughConan Exileshas no doubt made the developers an ideal candidate in adapting the harsh-yet-beautiful landscape of Arrakis. In terms of its identity,Dune: Awakeningis lifting visual elements straight fromDenis Villeneuve’sDuneadaptation, establishing it as a natural companion piece to the film.
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Dunefans can watch the new trailer on Funcom’s YouTube channel for as many times as they like, as the entire 80-second teaser is a true visual marvel – highlighting the cities, settlements, and dunes of Arrakis. As the voice-over in the trailer would imply,Dune: Awakeningputs thousands of players free to roam the unmapped regions and vast deserts of a seamless Arrakis, filled to the brim with unique hazards such as its legendary sandworms and the all-important spice they protect.
Funcom will adapt plenty of staples from Frank Herbert’s universe directly intoDune: Awakening’s gameplay, such as allowing players to deploy their own spice harvesters while mixing it with standard survival features like base construction, climbing through the ranks, as well as engaging in fast-paced vehicular combat (on both land and air) against other players and NPCs. This ambitious scope promises a virtual Arrakis that players can make their own, and the MMO format ofDune: Awakeningensures that content must flow, guaranteeing that the game will always have something new to offer.
Though it’s too early to tell when players might get their hands onDune: Awakening, it’s becoming readily apparent that the modern media landscape ofDunepromises far more than just Denis Villeneuve’s sequel, asDune: The Sisterhoodhas begun productionfor HBO Max as well. Players can expect to find out : Awakeningand its gameplay features in the months to come, after which the game will officially enter its beta testing phase.
Dune: Awakeningwill release on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.
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