Funcom has finally put a date on Dune: Awakening, its ambitious open-world survival MMO set on Arrakis. After months of teases and closed testing chatter, the studio says the game is on track for a PC launch first, with console versions planned to follow.

### Arrakis, But Built for Survival
Unlike traditional MMO sandboxes, Dune: Awakening leans hard into survival fundamentals: managing resources, braving the desert, and navigating a hostile world where the environment can kill you faster than any rival faction. Funcom has positioned Arrakis as both a playground and a threat—one where heat, scarcity, and the ever-present danger of sandworms are central to moment-to-moment decision-making.

### An Alternate Dune Timeline
The game also takes a notable narrative swing, drawing on Frank Herbert’s universe while using an alternate timeline setup that allows major power shifts and player-driven conflict to take center stage. That framing gives Funcom room to deliver iconic Dune elements—spice, political maneuvering, and brutal factional pressure—without being shackled to a strict retelling.

### What to Expect at Launch
On PC, players can expect a large-scale online world built around progression, crafting, base-building, and contested zones where spice and influence can be fought over. Funcom has a long history with persistent online games, and it’s clearly aiming for a live-service runway here—one that can expand with updates as the community settles into the power struggles of Arrakis.

The bigger question is execution: survival MMOs live or die on stability, balance, and the ability to keep the endgame engaging after the early scramble for gear and territory. If Funcom can combine the studio’s MMO experience with meaningful survival tension, Dune: Awakening could carve out a strong niche—especially for players hungry for a sci-fi alternative to the usual fantasy-heavy online worlds.

Source: |

Source: Read the full article here