Funcom, the company that created Conan Exiles, has shared more information about their new open-world survival MMO based on the Dune universe. In an interview with Eurogamer, they discussed Dune: Awakening. It was planned for release before 2021 but has been delayed a few years.
Dune: Awakening is set to take place a few years before the events of the Dune books. It will present an alternate timeline stemming from a key decision from the books that unfolds differently. This variation in events will impact the course of the story. Notably, the decision won’t directly concern Paul Atreides, the central protagonist of the series.
That’s a big deal; most people who enjoy books don’t like to see the lore they know change. Instead, they normally like to interact with the story they know in a bigger way.
“Things are slightly different in our universe. Many events are still the same, so it’s not like we’ve gone all ‘thousands of years ago, a rock slid in the wrong place and changed everything’. It’s just a few years back. But the significant thing – it’s really close to spoiler territory, which I can’t really go through – but let’s just say that for the large part, we sort of sidestep religion.”
Joel Bylos, Funcom’s chief creative officer and creative director on Dune: Awakening
The central gameplay revolves around basic survival mechanics. Players begin with nothing and need to gather resources, construct shelters, and create tools to endure the challenging desert setting. Spice, a valuable and addictive resource from the Dune universe, holds significant importance. Players gather spice to advance, but using it provides enhanced abilities while also raising addiction levels.
Dune: Awakening introduces two main factions, the Harkonnen and Arrakis, with a third faction planned for post-launch. Players can join a guild within their chosen faction and collaborate to achieve objectives set by the Landsraad Council, the governing body of the Dune universe. These objectives revolve around influencing the council and vying for resources, creating a sense of political intrigue within the game world.
Combat accommodates different playstyles, with options for melee, ranged, and vehicles. Players can also use special abilities, such as the well-known “Voice” power, to gain an advantage in combat or influence others. The vast open world is divided into safe and dangerous zones. Dangerous zones are reset weekly by massive Coriolis storms. This encourages temporary base building in dangerous desert regions and promotes the development of permanent settlements in safer areas.
The interview touched on monetization, but the developer is understandably tight-lipped on it. Any kind of monetization is a really easy way to get people mad before the game releases, so we don’t blame them.
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