As predicted by fans, Dune: Awakening is scheduled to appear at Gamescom 2024 this month, with Funcom promising an extended look at the title’s gameplay. The news was shared by Geoff Keighley on Twitter.
Fans are asked to tune in on August 20 at 11AM PST / 2PM EST.
Despite relatively few details being shared so far, the upcoming open-world survival MMO surpassed one million wishlists on Steam in June.
During this year’s Summer Game Fest, the game’s story cinematic titled ‘The Vision of Paul Atreides’ revealed the game’s alternate timeline in which Jessica Atreides chooses to give birth to a daughter instead of Paul, beginning a unique and unpredictable chain of events. Players will be tasked with creating their own story in the Dune universe.
“I think Dune has a large audience of core fans because it is such an interesting universe, so my take with the game is always to try and start from the lore,” creative director Joel Bylos said in a March interview. “It is the best-selling science fiction novel of all time for a reason. Any mechanical decisions we make in the game usually come from a thoughtful and deliberate choice about lore, or when we need to change things and why.
We want players to be able to find their friends (or make them) quickly, and the game has a wealth of social interactions outside of the guild system – chat, emotes, proximity voice (with appropriate blocking controls), trading, player hubs, etc,” Bylos concluded.
The Dune franchise has seen a massive resurgence in popular culture over the past few years, with Dune: Part 2 releasing in theaters this March.
Dune: Awakening doesn’t currently have a release date. Players can sign up for a closed beta on Funcom’s official website now.
