Dune Awakening, Future Dune Games May be Stuck Between a Rock and a Hard Place

With the release of Dune: Awakening, fans of the franchise have been taken on an adventure they will not soon forget. Funcom has recreated the dunes of Arrakis in glorious fashion and filled them to the brim with everything that one would expect from them. From the factions that litter the world to the terrifying sandworms that lurk around every corner, everything is here. This has led to what some may feel is the most immersive Dune game to date. And while that is great to see, Dune: Awakening may have also put future Dune games in a bit of a tough spot.

With the massive success of Warner Bros current Dune franchise, there will likely be plenty of adventures set within Frank Herbert’s universe on the way. Already, players have been treated to a couple of exciting titles through both Dune: Awakening and Dune: Spice Wars, among so many others. They may have been great, yet because of them, the future for Dune games feels a bit less clear. Not only do they have a high bar to clear thanks to Funcom, but it also feels like they may be running out of genres to explore.

Dune Awakening Opening Hour Greatest Hits Compilation

Dune: Awakening’s Opening Hour Feels Like a Greatest Hits Compilation

Dune: Awakening does not waste anytime getting players into the action, and through those opening hours, it feels like a fantastic time for Dune fans.

Dune: Awakening Has Delivered the Perfect Dune Experience

Dune: Awakening Sets a High Bar for Other Games to Follow

One of the biggest reasons that future Dune games may be in a bit of a tough spot is due to the massive scale and quality experience that Funcom has created with Dune: Awakening. From the second the game starts, players know they are in for a very faithful recreation of Herbert’s work. They are walked through character creation by the Reverend Mother, are given so much control over who they are within the world, and then are tossed onto Arrakis to fight for their survival. There, they will spend hours scavenging for resources, fending off against Sandworms, and doing everything that they might expect within Dune.

The open-world and game mechanics really help suck players into the world of Dune, and through post-launch content, Funcom will likely take that adventure even further. While this has made for a very immersive experience, it also means that future Dune titles have a lot to live up to. The studio has already delivered what some may feel is the perfect Dune simulator, so it is not entirely clear how another developer could shake up that experience further, as there is just not much else that has not already been explored. It could always lean more into combat, or take players to another planet within the universe, but since the primary focus of Dune has always been Arrakis, that may not be what fans are looking for from this franchise.

There Are Only So Many Other Genres Dune Can Explore

On top of this, the next genre that a studio could bring Dune to is not entirely clear. Dune: Awakening has brought the series to the MMO survival landscape, and 2022’s Dune: Spice Wars gave players an RTS with 4X elements. Both did a good job of adapting the universe within those genres, but they also seem to have hit the best two genres for the series. At first glance, Dune does not really work within the likes of an FPS, co-op adventure, platformer, or so many other concepts. Unless a studio crafted a fully-fledged action-adventure project following Paul Atreides, it may be hard to deliver something else to fans.

That being said, it is likely not impossible. With the right studio and genre, there could be another fantastic Dune experience on the horizon. An action-adventure could lead to something special, as previously mentioned, and there may also be room for a more in-depth simulator or another strategy/survival game. As long as it maintains the essence of Dune, and delivers a fun experience, players would likely love another game – even if it could struggle to feel truly fresh. Since Warner Bros. has plans to expand its Dune franchise with more movies and more seasons of Dune: Prophecy, this likely won’t be the end for video games based on the IP. Fans will just have to wait and see what is on the cards, though creating another game as faithful as Awakening will be a real challenge.