Funcom’s upcoming multiplayer survival game, Dune: Awakening, just got its first pre-alpha gameplay footage and it’s very much reminiscent of Dennis Villeneuve’s award-winning film adaptation of the same source material, Dune. Judging from the early gameplay footage, its developers are going for the same visual shock and awe strategy that the motion picture employed. We’d have to admit, it’s working quite well.
Villeneuve’s live-action adaptation of Frank Herbert’s best-selling novel series took home a handful of awards (six out of ten nominations) at the 94th Academy Awards. While it’s too early to say if Dune: Awakening can replicate the same visuals, its art style is heavily reminiscent of it. But, make no mistake – you’re not here to watch a pretty film, Dune: Awakening will have you try and survive the harsh desert environment.
Here’s what the trailer’s description has to say about Dune: Awakening:
Witness the epic scale of Dune: Awakening, an Open World Survival MMO inspired by Frank Herbert’s sci-fi masterpiece and the award-winning blockbuster film by Dennis Villeneuve. Ascend from searching for water and building shelters against storms to controlling the flow of spice in the top echelons of Arrakis.
We got our first whiff of Dune: Awakening in August at Gamescom 2022. At the time of its announcement, Funcom didn’t give the game a release date, which is currently listed for the Xbox Series S/X, PlayStation 5, and Windows PC. It still doesn’t have a release window but Funcom is accepting sign-ups for the beta, which suggests that development on the game is progressing rather well.
Frank Herbert’s sprawling universe is ripe for the taking and Funcom has plenty of ideas to draw from when it comes to what it should implement to draw player interest and keep them engaged in the long run.
Admittedly, the premise of making a virtual version of Arrakis into your own is intriguing already. But, it also means that the pressure is on Funcom to make living in it live up to the visual spectacle that it is obviously aiming for. So far, the ambitious scope matches its trailer but we’ll have to wait for actual gameplay to find out if the game can live up to fan expectations.
Hopefully, the beta for Dune: Awakening is out by the time Dune: Part Two comes out next November.
Warner Bros. Discovery pushed the premiere forward following the production delay faced by Marvel Studios. The sequel to one of last year’s biggest critical hits started its production earlier this year. After the premiere of Dune: Part Two, Dune: The Sisterhood, will follow suit on HBO Max after it started filming last month.
It’s unclear if Sony Pictures Entertainment will take over the distribution of future Dune projects after inking a new deal with Legendary Entertainment.
