gamescom 2024: Dune: Awakening

With the movie reboot well underway, Dune was always going to need an epic game to live up to the expectations. Never one to disappoint, Funcom gave us a glimpse into the gameplay of its upcoming survival MMO set in Frank Herbert’s epic universe. With the tagline “Survive, Expand, Control”, this open-world epic sees you hunting for spice blows on Arakus, with deadly consequences to anyone foolish enough to come to one unprepared. The rare material is set to be the primary point of battling with other players, and don’t expect to be given any mercy from other players, as controlling spice is the lifeblood of this title.

Speaking of blood, that’s a resource too in Dune: Awakening, as the ability to loot your downed opponents spreads beyond their loot, but the very liquid that keeps them alive can be looted and purified into drinkable water. Life on Arakas is indeed fragile and expendable. 

We also saw a sneak preview of the building system. Not only can you customise your base with buildings and save them as blueprints, but you can also sell those blueprints to other players. There was a lot of solo play shown, but as this is an MMO, the developer was keen to point out that your chances of staying alive are always increased by working with one of the hundreds of other players around you.

Dune: Awakening is set to come to PC in early 2025, with a beta signup currently available, and the always mandatory suggestion to wishlist the game on Steam. There’s no word on the release date for PlayStation and Xbox, but there was confirmation that both platforms will be getting a version, and their dates are to be confirmed.