After the thrilling announcement of the upcoming open-world game EVERYWHERE, another cinematic trailer was revealed at Gamescom Opening Night. Dune: Awakening is a brand-new survival MMO developed by Level Infinite and published by Funcom. This game is said to be heavily inspired by the 1965 sci-fi novel Dune by Frank Herbert and the recent movie adaptation directed by Denis Villeneuve. It will also have similar features to another survival game from Funcom called Conan Exiles. Dune: Awakening was previously teased in 2019 when Funcom signed a deal with Legendary Studios to create “at least” three games set in the Dune universe.
As mentioned on the Steam page, Dune: Awakening “combines the grit and creativity of survival games with the social interactivity of large, persistent multiplayer games.” The trailer did not feature any gameplay, but it did follow a male protagonist (possibly Paul Atreides) while a narrator recites the famous quote from Dune. “Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little death that brings total obliteration.” Players must endure the desert planet Arrakis, the most dangerous planet in the fictional universe. In order to do that, players must build shelters to protect themselves from sandstorms and avoid being devoured by giant sandworms.
The CEO of Funcom Rui Casais stated that the company “has been pushing boundaries in the MMO genre for twenty years. We built on that with Conan Exiles, our first big success in the survival space. With Dune: Awakening we’re bridging the survival and MMO genres to create something truly unique and ambitious within a universe we’re all so passionate about.”
No release date has been announced for Dune: Awakening yet; it will be available to play on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. Those interested in playing Dune: Awakening can sign up for the beta version on the official website or add it to their Steam Wishlist.