Funcom has announced that its highly open-world survival massively multiplayer online (MMO) game, Dune: Awakening, will launch on May 20, 2024, for $49.99. The game will initially be released on PC via Steam, with PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series versions arriving later.

Ahead of the launch, Funcom has released a character creator tool that lets players design their in-game personas. The tool features extensive customization options, allowing players to select a home planet, caste, and mentor.

Players can also align with one of the Imperium’s Schools, including the Swordmaster, Bene Gesserit, Mentat, or Trooper, each granting unique starting abilities. While these initial choices shape early gameplay, players will eventually unlock abilities from all Schools and can mix them freely. Characters created with the tool can be imported into the full game at launch.

An Alternate Take on the Dune Universe

Dune: Awakening presents an alternate version of Frank Herbert’s universe. In this timeline, the Fremen mysteriously vanish. Paul Atreides is never born, and Duke Leto Atreides survives the assault on Arrakeen. Players enter the world as prisoners investigating the Fremen’s disappearance. They must ultimately align with either the Atreides or Harkonnen factions.

The game offers a persistent online world where hundreds of players can interact. Survival mechanics remain deeply rooted in Dune lore. Players must craft still suits, extract water from defeated enemies, and navigate the desert while avoiding hazards such as sandstorms and the iconic sandworms. These massive creatures react to player actions like spice mining or walking on open sand. Tactical players can even use the worms against rival spice operations.

Arrakeen and Harko Village are central hubs where players can trade and socialize. A robust building system allows players to construct everything from temporary camps to fortresses. Players can also convert their designs into blueprints and trade them on the server-wide Exchange. While the game emphasizes multiplayer interaction, player-versus-player (PvP) combat remains optional, with multiple ways to engage in the power struggles of Arrakis without direct conflict.

Dune: Awakening System Benchmark and Performance Testing

Funcom has also introduced a benchmark mode, allowing players to test their system compatibility while previewing Dune: Awakening’s stunning visuals. The mode highlights key gameplay elements, including ornithopter flight and sandworm encounters.

By blending survival mechanics with MMO elements, Dune: Awakening seeks to honor Herbert’s legendary universe. The game’s success will depend on its ability to balance these features while delivering an immersive experience true to the spirit of Dune.

Frank Herbert’s Dune series remains one of the most influential science fiction sagas of all time. First published in 1965, the novel introduced a complex world of politics, religion, and ecology centered around the desert planet Arrakis.

The franchise has since expanded into multiple novels, films, television adaptations, and video games, captivating audiences for decades. Dune: Awakening aims to continue this legacy by bringing the rich lore and themes of the series into an interactive experience for modern gamers.

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