Dune: Awakening Gameplay Trailer Highlights Arrakis' Harsh Environment

Developer Funcom unveiled the official gameplay trailer for the forthcoming survival MMO, Dune: Awakening, heading to console and PC during their Dune: Awakening Direct showcase. The timing of the game's trailer release comes as the Denis Villeneuve-directed Dune 2 hit theatres globally over the weekend, which has garnered highly positive reviews during its opening weekend.

Dune: Awakening was first announced during Gamescom in August 2022, and the developer has held multiple Closed Betas since its announcement. However, one aspect of the gameplay trailer that left more questions than answers is that a release date or window was not revealed.

According to the Dune: Awakening Direct recap post, players "will become a part of that life, as you step into an immersive and vast sandbox environment where you will be forged in the scorching crucible of Arrakis' deserts." The survival MMO "combines the grit and creativity of sandbox survival games with the social interactivity of a large, persistent multiplayer game to create a unique and ambitious Open World Survival MMO."

Players will begin their adventures in Arrakis, sandworms included, as they must adapt and survive the overwhelming environments, collect and craft resources, immerse into the game's building systems, and engage in PvP combat. As they'll be forging their unique journey in the harsh environments of Arrakis as the developer paid close attention when developing the vibrant world of Arrakis by considering the journey the IP has embarked on across multiple mediums.

Funcom also gained some insight and assistance from Academy Award-winning Cinematographer Greig Fraser, who worked on the recent Dune films with director Denis Villeneuve during the development of Dune: Awakening. Together with Fraser, the developer created a "creative overlap" between the books, films, and the game, with a few differences between the respective mediums.

This was alluded to by Funcom's Creative Director, Joel Bylos, in an interview with PC Gamer, in which he explained how the game's events are quite different from the books and films. As the game is set around eight years following the 2021 Dune film, the events will be explored much differently; Bylos stated that while similar to Frank Herbert's books, "we've gone with an alternate history, like a 'what-if,' if you want."

Funcom worked closely with Legendary Pictures and the Herbert family and estate as they were developing Dune: Awakening and exploring alternate storylines. Bylos added it took a "single pebble" to unravel unique storylines and events that would play out differently in this alternate timeline and how it change players' gaming experience.