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Dune RTS Game Is The Perfect Book & Movie Adaptation
During The Game Awards 2021, publisher Funcom and developer Shiro Games unveiled Dune: Spice Wars, a real-time strategy title based on Frank Herbert's iconic universe. Dune has experienced quite the resurgence of late, thanks in large part to the Denis Villeneuve-directed film that hit theaters in October. It's no surprise, then, that games based on the brand are popping up left and right, as well.
In November, The Retro Room Games launched a Kickstarter campaign to rebuild an unreleased Dune game previously known as Frank Herbert’s Dune: Ornithopter Assault. The studio managed to secure the game rights, but it lacks access to the Dune IP rights; as a result, the project, which is fully funded on Kickstarter, will now take the form of Elland: The Crystal Wars. Unsurprisingly, new interactive adventures based on the decades-old property have also received the green light. And it's clear that Tencent-owned publisher Funcom has the keys to the kingdom.
At this year's Game Awards, Funcom and Northgard developer Shiro Games debuted the first look at Dune: Spice Wars, which enters early access on PC in 2022. An RTS title boasting 4X qualities, Spice Wars tasks players with creating their own story while controlling one of many factions, including the likes of long-standing rivals House Atreides and House Harkonnen. The player's goal lies in guiding their chosen faction to victory, which sees the victor gain control of the universe's most powerful resource - spice. In pursuit of such ends, factions forge paths relying upon political influence, subterfuge, open war, or economic supremacy. Moment-to-moment gameplay plays a part in potential success, too. Ornithopter-based exploration helps discover resources and POIs. Building out troops all but guarantees a faction's expansion into more regions. Dominating the economy should stem from the exploitation of resources. And carefully balancing a powerful military presence could make or break a group's dominance over its enemies. Check out the reveal trailer and screenshots for Dune: Spice Wars below:
Interestingly, this isn't Funcom's only Dune project. Taking inspiration from Conan Exiles, Funcom has partnered with developer Nukklear to bring a Dune survival game to market at an undetermined time. Details about the untitled survival adventure presently remain scarce, but it's clear Funcom's 2019 acquisition of the rights to Frank Herbert's universe won't soon go to waste.
Founded in Norway in 1993, Funcom is best known for developing and publishing interactive experiences based on the Conan the Barbarian brand. The most recent of such titles, Conan Unconquered, hit PC as a real-time strategy game from developer Petroglyph in 2019. Hopes are high for Funcom's Dune: Spice Wars, which is likely to be a hit with fans of the popular franchise. Players can expect more news on the Dune game in the coming weeks and months.
