Funcom, maker of Conan Exiles, announced today that they are working on a new real-time strategy game with 4X elements based on Dune, Dune: Spice Wars.
Featured today in The Game Awards in Los Angeles, Dune: Spice Wars is being built by the same team that brought the world the critically acclaimed RTS Northgard in 2017. Shiro Games is no stranger to crafting complex experiences, and Dune feels like a fantastic fit for this established studio.
“I think I speak for every single person at Shiro Games, when I say that we are all massive fans of Dune – both of the original novel and the new and spectacular Denis Villeneuve film. To be able to bring this universe to life as a strategy game again is incredible,” Shiro Games’ CEO, Sebastien Vidal says.
“The Dune universe is the perfect setting for a strategy game. You have major factions, such as House Atreides and House Harkonnen, with a rivalry that spans back centuries. You have political intrigue, deception, and warfare, all centred around what is by far the most valuable substance in the universe: Spice. And then there is the stage itself, Arrakis, a hostile planet full of hidden wonders to explore. Massive sandworms that can devour entire armies, sandstorms, spice harvesters, all of which our amazing team of developers have incorporated into this game,” he says.
Dune: Spice Wars captures the heart and soul of the series, offering several playable factions, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. With everyone working to gain control of Arrakis, you must use every tool in your arsenal, to control the flow of spice. From the ability to deploy agents to sabotage, assassinate and spy on your opponents, use political means to influence the Landsraad and pass beneficial resolutions, amass incredible wealth and simply overwhelm the other houses through economic and technological supremacy, or you can unleash all-out war.
Set for release in early access in 2022, this will be the first Dune game from Funcom, and one of the first new entries to the Dune universe in more than twenty years. Keep an eye on CGMagazine for more announcements from The Game Awards, and find all the new trailers here.
