You can wage war on the planet of Arrakis later this month!
Published by Funcom and developed by Shiro Games (who developed 2017’s critically acclaimed Northgard), Dune: Spice Wars is a real-time strategy game set in the world of Frank Herbert’s sci-fi masterpiece, the Dune series. It will be the first Dune video game published since Frank Herbert’s Dune (2001) over 20 years ago, or the ‘Dune Wars’ mod for Civilization IV (2009). Initially revealed in the Game Awards last December, information on the game has been steadily been revealed in the interceding months. Today, it was revealed the game would be available to play in Early Access on the 26th April!
A synthesis of real-time strategy and 4X games (expand, exploit, exterminate, and explore), Dune: Spice Wars sees four factions battle each other on the hostile desert planet of Arrakis for control of ” the spice”: the narcotic/mutagen/seasoning that is the keystone of commerce and technological development in the Duniverse. In order to succeed, you must successfully navigate the political, military, and economical arenas with your chosen faction. The factions each have their own strengths and weaknesses and the ones you can choose from so far include the noble House Atreides, the duplicitous House Harkonnen, the enterprising Smugglers, and the newly revealed Fremen.
The Fremen are the native inhabitants of Arrakis. Often underestimated for their seemingly quaint ways, the truth of the matter is that the Fremen have adapted well to their harsh environment, allowing them to make efficient use of guerilla tactics and even the franchise’s iconic sandworms. With their leader, Liet Kynes, being familiar with the Imperium’s administration from her tenure as planetologist of the Emperor, they are well-equipped to engage with the other factions in both warfare and intelligence gathering.
The Fremen’s most valuable asset, however, is their ability to rally the sietches (independent settlements) all over the planet. By consolidating power with the sietches, they may yet drive off the other forces from their planet and achieve their dream of turning their planet into a lush paradise.
“With so many massive Dune fans in the studio, the excitement I see every day of working with this universe is very real, and we hope this comes across in the game. With all this passion for the source material, and all the know-how we’ve gathered from making Northgard, we can’t wait to put this game into players’ hands.”
Sebastien Vidal, CEO of Shiro Games
Keep an eye out over the coming months for more Dune: Spice Wars news!
In addition to publishing Dune: Spice Wars, Funcom (who has exclusive rights to publish Dune games on PC and consoles) will also be developing an “open word survival multiplayer game set in the Dune universe”. Between this and the movies, it seems that if you’re a Dune fan, the spice will be flowing directly into your open mouth because you’re eating good.
He/Him
A flamboyant ultra nerd, Dave participates in the Underlevelled Tournament both for the thrill of the fight, and to avenge the orphans lost in the climax of the previous tournament.
Born: London
Height: ???
Weight: ???
Hobbies: street dance, collecting manga volumes, reading, editing
Likes: short-to-medium walks on the beach, pointing out how things can and will be misconstrued as racism, fighting games, RPGs, anime, Hades, alternative hip hop, conscious hip hop, Mara Wilson, overly long bios, ice-cream
Dislikes: insincere media, his own uncanny resemblance to Richard Ayoade, mayonnaise
