It’s a pretty great time to be a Dune fan. Thanks to the upcoming release of Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation of Frank Herbert’s classic scifi novel, the franchise has truly come back in a big way. Sure, there have been book releases for years thanks to the efforts of Frank’s son Brian Herbert and his writing partner Kevin J Anderson, but most fans agree that that first book and the world it created are where the most impact lies. And it seems that Funcom and Legendary agree as they’re working on a new video game set in the Dune universe.
This isn’t the first time we’ve heard about the upcoming games, but we are getting more detail on what was previously announced. Said to be an open-world multiplayer game, the game doesn’t look to be a quick cash-in on the potential success of the film. Is it an MMORPG like Funcom’s previous projects? Possibly, but we’ll have to wait for more info to come out to confirm. The Dune universe certainly could sustain a game in that genre, with warring factions that utilize their own particular talents, abilities, and technology. And with its focus on politics over action, the series would really work well in a multiplayer environment where interaction doesn’t always have to feature a gun. Or lasgun, or crysknife, or giant sandworm.
Funcom is currently hiring for the project, with listings for gameplay programmers, animators, and more featured on their site. This also likely means that the project is far from complete, likely just entering the planning and development phases of production. The movie is coming out next year, but will only adapt a portion of the first book, which then featured five sequels by Frank Herbert before his son picked up the franchise. Could the game arrive before the second half is released? Would the movie underperforming endanger the project? There’s currently a lot of unknowns out there and my spice induced prescience isn’t working well enough to say.
