Dune Is Getting A New Game Following Its Cinema Return

It can’t have passed your attention that the world of Dune has been a rather big deal of late. The 2021 cinematic adaptation of (part of) Frank Herbert’s 1965 sci-fi novel has been a hit at the box office, the Denis Villeneuve-directed picture pulling in over $380 million against its $165 million budget, and attracting a wealth of critical acclaim, too. A sequel, Part Two (obviously), is confirmed and will be released in 2023; and we’ve seen news that an open-world survival game based on the franchise is in the works at NUKKLEAR and Funcom. 

And now, as revealed at the 2021 Game Awards, we know a second game is coming our way from publishers Funcom - albeit one more in touch with older games based on Dune which leaned more on strategy than action. Dune: Spice Wars is on the way from celebrated strategy game developers Shiro Games (Northgard, Wartales) and will, as reads its Steam information, let players lead factions to gain control and dominance over the Spice-producing planet of Arrakis.

Watch the reveal trailer for Dune: Spice Wars below…

Here’s that Steam info in full, for your eyeballs and brainbox:

“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.”

Our resident strategy games nerd (hey, Jules) is very excited at the prospect of this one. I can’t say I’ve ever truly got along with 4X gaming myself but I know it has its fans, so they’re advised to keep their peepers on this one. Dune: Spice Wars currently has a release date of sometime in 2022.

Topics: The Game Awards, TV And Film