The open world survival MMO Dune: Awakening game showed off two new trailers at their livestreamed Direct showcase.
From the developers behind the multiplayer survival game Conan Exiles, Funcom brings something gritty for Dune fans—especially right after seeing that visually stunning sequel movie! The team held today’s Dune: Awakening Direct showcase, featuring two new trailers for the upcoming sandbox MMO open-world survival game. One was a game trailer, and the other was a featurette titled “Creating Worlds, from Book to Film to Game.”
The Direct livestream was hosted by well-known Swiss video game caster and analyst Salome “Soe” Gschwind-Repp. She first introduced the featurette, which included voiceover from the Creative Director Joel Bylos of the latest sequel film and their game. The video also explained how they worked with Legendary and visit the set of the Dune films to get the reference and sense of scale. The Dune films cinematographer Greig Fraser even spoke on collaborating with the Funcom team.
Bylos expanded on how Unreal Engine 5 brought the Dune world to life in their game, especially with the sandworms. He talked about staying true to Frank Herbert and Denis Villeneuve’s visions on the world of Dune.
Soe spoke with the Bylos who dropped new, in-depth details on Dune: Awakening such as how the player will be thinking about their gameplay styles, either drinking from plants or killing others and drinking their blood! Bylos also explained more on crafting (ie. making a Thumper), base-building, trading at the Exchange and all the finer details found in classic open world survival MMO’s.
The player begins their journey in Dune: Awakening on the iconic spice-filled planet of Arrakis, where traversing across the sands is punishing yet rewarding. Players will have certain resources at their disposal, as seen in the films and books. They have opportunities to ride air/land vehicles like the iconic ornithopter, weapons like the maula pistol and even use certain Bene Gesserit abilities to draw enemies in closer and stab them. The customizability and exploration for this game is almost endless!
Players will also be able to meet well-known Dune characters like Duke Leto Atreides, meaning there will be some faction-based gameplay involved as well. The developers explained that this game takes place in a non-canon world where certain events did not happen, allowing players and the team to dive into Arrakis without constraints. Additionally, the developers at Funcom essentially broke down Dune: Awakening’s gameplay into four major pillars: survive, protect, expand and control.
Surviving is mainly combatting the elements of Arrakis (ie. water management and sandworm threats); protecting a potential base of operations is key in an open world MMO; expanding could mean exploring and taking other players’ stuff; and controlling territory allows players to have or join guilds for controlling the spice trade. So, there is enjoyment for both the solo player and those seeking out the game’s social interactions.
Next, the new gameplay trailer displayed more footage of how players could build craft and interact with the world. It looked like players use some kind of a crafting gun (along with resources) to build a base. The base’s size limits looked huge, reminding me of how Halo’s Forge building system worked. Based on what was shown, the Bene Gesserit abilities initially gave off Destiny or Star Wars Jedi vibes.
Dune: Awakening is expected to come out this year with current-gen consoles and PC in mind. Bylos explained that they had been running various betas, and do not want to rush it either. So, the chances of the game getting pushed back does seem like something that is also possible. The game will be out on Steam (PC), PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. You can wishlist the game now on Steam and go to the Dune: Awakening website for a chance to join the beta!
