Developer Funcom announced a new multiplayer survival game based on Dune and fans of Frank Herbert's iconic sci-fi franchise can't contain their excitement.Produced in collaboration with NUKKLEAR, the Dune game will take inspiration from Funcom's wildly successful Conan Exiles, according to a press release. Next to nothing is known about the currently unnamed project, but a spokesperson did confirm that the game will include an open world, vehicular gameplay and survival elements. Given the source material, these features align neatly within the scope of Dune. Following recent investments from Tencent, the size of the game has reportedly increased substantially, a prospect that has fans excited for the possibilities.
“We’re grateful to Funcom for bringing us on to help bring Dune to a new audience. We’ve supported and collaborated on many projects over the years, but taking on Dune is by far the biggest yet,†said Kirk Lenke, CEO of NUKKLEAR. “Our team welcomes the challenge and is confident in the expertise that NUKKLEAR brings to the table.â€
NUKKLEAR has developed or assisted on several popular titles already, including Everspace, Super Meat Boy Forever, Destroy All Humans Remake and Comanche, which recently launched into early access. "As the Dune open-world survival game is the most ambitious project we’ve ever undertaken at Funcom, having skilled and reliable partners is an absolute must. With NUKKLEAR we have just that. We’ve benefited particularly from their expertise in vehicular-based gameplay, but I know them as highly skilled and creative game developers in general," said Rui Casais, Funcom CEO.
While fans are excited for the upcoming Dune game, which doesn't currently have a release window, there are several older games also based on Herbert's sci-fi epic that may scratch the same itch. Many of the adaptions took the form of real-time strategy games, allowing players to command squads of soldiers and vehicles while attempting to avoid the terrifying sandworms. Despite the avid cult following earned by many of these titles, they're difficult to play on modern systems. The first game to be based on Dune was released back in 1992 and requires several mods to run efficiently on current hardware.
Funcom's other major licensed game is Conan Exiles, an open-world multiplayer game based in the high fantasy world created by Robert E. Howard. The game allows players to create their own hero who will adventure through a variety of biomes, build structures, hunt animals and fight off enemies in order to survive and flourish.
Source: Funcom