It will be a while before Dune: Messiah hits theatres, but fans can expect to jump right into the world of Frank Herbert’s Dune with the upcoming game, Dune: Awakening.
The main game is set to take place on the planet of Dune, and a new trailer has been dropped revealing several locations on the desert planet that players will have to navigate.
Arrakis Trailer for Dune: Awakening
Dubbed the “Beauty of Arrakis”, the trailer allows us to get a look at the details of the desert planet. Not only do players get a look from the ground up, but it’s also revealed how the terrain can be explored via ornithopter (the world’s version of a plane).
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Here’s the official description of the game:
“While Arrakis is principally a desert planet, its vast surface is home to many unique locations and diverse environments full of secrets to uncover. Witness the beauty of Arrakis.
“Rise from survival to greatness and challenge the power of an Imperium in Dune: Awakening, a multiplayer survival game on a massive scale. Survive the sandworm, craft your ornithopter, build a fortress, and ascend to power on an open world Arrakis shared with hundreds of other players.”
Locations shown in the trailer include Hagga Basin South, O’odham, Vermillius Gap, Hagga Rift, and the Shield Wall. The city of Arrakeen is also accessible, it’s considered one of the largest cities on the planet and was the home of the Atreides when they moved to Arrakis.
An Alternate Timeline
Originally, Awakening was supposed to be released between the releases of Dune and Dune: Part Two, but delays forced the developers to make a few changes.
For one, the Fremen will not exist in the game on launch, as they were originally saved for Part Two when development started. So, don’t expect to see any sietches until the first update.
It’s also worth noting that Paul Atreides doesn’t exist in this timeline. Instead of Paul, it’s said that Lady Jessica gave birth to a girl, which was the original plan of the Bene Gesserit.
It will be up to the players to navigate how they want to shape the future of Arrakis. Do they align with the Fremen and their allies? Or do they align with the Imperium whose primary concern is only the production of Spice?
Dune: Messiah
With a third movie already greenlit, there’s a lot of time for the developers at Funcom to build a player base for Dune: Awakening. It’s not clear exactly what story Messiah will tell, but it may fulfil the cautionary tale of Paul and free Arrakis from anyone trying to control it.
Since Chani leaves Paul’s side in Part Two, Denis Villeneuve can likely go in several directions when it comes to the story unfolding onscreen.
No specific release date has been set for Dune: Awakening, but fans expected the game to drop for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC sometime early this year.