After experiencing the desert world of Arrakis in Denis Villeneuve’s epic film Dune 2, fans eagerly look forward to playing the tie-in game Dune: Awakening. While the sand-filled planet is expected to dim down the coloring of the Survival MMO game, developers Funcom have some plans to add ‘spice’ to the aesthetics. In addition to adding the canonical underground vegetation to the game’s world, the developers are also considering changing locations from Arrakis to some darker places.
The developers are of course eyeing Giedi Prime, the home to House Harkonnen in Dune 2, as a potential setting for the game. The black-and-white aesthetics of the planet are far different from the brown and grey shades of Arrakis.
Dune: Awakening Producer Wants This Scary Planet As A Location For The Game
Funcom earlier revealed that Dune: Awakening will stay true to Frank Herbert‘s book descriptions. The trailer, which dropped on March 5, also showed that the game will take place in the sand planet of Arrakis, following suit from Denis Villeneuve‘s movie. However, the brown and grey aesthetics of Herbert’s world might be an irk to the eye for many gamers playing the Survival MMO.
Funcom definitely has solid plans to address this criticism, which is also inspired by Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Two. According to executive producer Scott Junior, the game will eventually take the player to other planets like Giedi Prime. The black and white scary planet of Giedi Prime is under the brutal rule of House Harkonnen when Herbert’s first novel begins. Giedi Prime is infamous among the Dune fandom as an industrial volcanic wasteland.
However, Junior shared that gamers can’t access the other planets during the game’s early access launch. Junior also noted that the game will explore other planets like Caladan. He shared with Rock Paper Shotgun:
“At the start of the project there was Giedi Prime, there was Caladan, all the other [major] locations, we definitely looked into that. We are going to launch on just Arrakis, though, where there’s a lot to explore, because there’s not just the northern hemisphere – there’s also the south.”
The producer had a particular eye for the aesthetic of Giedi Prime, especially after watching Stellan Skarsgård and Austin Butler perform in the setting in Dune: Part Two. He believed that the visuals from the movie were striking and it was something that could be considered for the game post-launch. Junior shared:
“We can potentially go to other planets post launch, but it’s not in the launch offering. But yeah, if you see in the second movie, I would love to make a scene on Giedi Prime with the black and white thing they did there. I thought that was really striking.”
Junior also explained about exploring different environments within Arrakis itself, like the underground vegetation on the planet. Junior shared that it would help to add some tropical aesthetics to the otherwise sand-filled planet.
Fans Will Have To Wait For Dune: Awakening Until 2025
Dune: Awakening trailer has got fans excited to the core, but the game isn’t expected to launch until 2025. It will allow players to fully immerse themselves in Frank Herbert’s sci-fi universe. In the gameplay, the players will assume the role of The Sleeper, a freelancer in Arrakis, whose missions include forming alliances, fighting for control of regions, and avoiding the monstrous sandworms.
While the official release date has not been announced yet, gamers can sign up for a closed beta test phase of the game. The beta phase players also have the opportunity to play the game early when it launches. Dune: Awakening is set to launch on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X and S.
