Since its announcement in 2022, Funcom has maintained a level of secrecy around Dune: Awakening. With Dune: Part 2 now in theatres, the developers have chosen this moment to showcase the expansive world they’ve been crafting.
The featurette, titled “Creating Worlds: From Book to Film to Game,” takes viewers on an immersive journey into Arrakis, revealing game footage that has never been seen before. It includes interviews with Greig Fraser, the Academy Award-winning cinematographer of Villeneuve’s Dune films, and Funcom’s Creative Director, Joel Bylos.
The conversations highlight the collaborative efforts between the game’s development and the film adaptations, offering insights into the process of bringing the Dune universe to life in a gaming context.
The subsequent “Survive Arrakis Trailer” presents the game’s vast landscapes, featuring giant sandworms and flying ornithopters. It showcases the game’s core mechanics, such as base building, exploration, and combat, emphasizing the game’s blend of survival challenges and multiplayer interactions.
Dune: Awakening aims to merge the immersive elements of survival games with the dynamic social aspects of MMOs, offering players a sandbox experience within the Dune universe. The game emphasizes player choice and emergent gameplay, where individual goals and interactions create unique experiences.
Joel Bylos, in “Creating Worlds,” described Dune: Awakening as the culmination of Funcom’s legacy in developing immersive multiplayer worlds, blending elements from MMOs and survival crafting games to create a forward-looking gaming experience.
This presentation is the first in the Dune: Awakening Direct series, with future instalments planned to reveal more gameplay, interviews, and developments. The game is set for release on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S, with a Beta sign-up currently open on the game’s website. Steam folks can wishlist the game here.
