Dune: Spice Wars was announced last year at The Game Awards, promising 4X gameplay mixed with the hunt for spice on Arrakis. The announcement came following the success of the movie adaptation, and now the game has been officially confirmed to be releasing in early access on April 26th of this month.
Looking closely at the gameplay trailer, it seems that Dune: Spice Wars will be a sandbox RTS 4X game. You’re tasked with going around the desert planet of Arrakis, one huge map, that requires you to scavenge for resources, create living quarters and figure out how to win the greatest supply of Spice, the drug that Arrakis is known for among the galactic civilizations and the reason why so many people try to claim land there. The steam page for the game reads:
“A real-time strategy game with 4X elements, from the developers of the critically acclaimed Northgard. Set in Frank Herbert’s groundbreaking Dune universe, you must lead your faction and battle for control and dominance over the harsh desert planet of Arrakis.
Spice is the most valuable resource in the universe. The spice extends life, it expands consciousness and makes interstellar travel possible. Create your own story and play as one of several factions, including House Atreides and House Harkonnen, and compete for power over Dune and the spice.
Scan the landscape for wormsign or risk losing your troops and spice harvesters to titanic sandworms who will burst through the sand dunes to swallow and devour them whole. Best your opponents through political intrigue, crush them in combat, and undermine them with your network of illusive spies.”
Funcom is also developing a multiplayer open-world survival game set in the Dune universe, so this isn’t going to be the only game set in the Dune universe to be released in the next year.
