The open-world survival MMO Marvel's Avengers and many other film tie-in games. Dune: Awakening will have many similarities to the film it's based on, the most recent Dune film. However, many of the game's design decisions may hamper its success and make it less popular with fans. Dune: Awakening will be a live service game that will be continually updated over time. It also does not feature the likenesses of actors from the 2021 Dune film, which was headlined by Timothee Chalamet and Zendaya. These and other choices for Dune: Awakening are reminiscent of the controversial Marvel's Avengers game by Crystal Dynamics, which borrowed aspects from the Marvel Cinematic Universe without using any of the franchise's actors.
Dune: Awakening was announced at 2022 Gamescom Opening Night Live. While it has no release date set, players can sign up now to the beta. Dune: Awakening takes advantage of Frank Herbert's incredible setting from the Dune universe, as well as the series' resurgence in popularity due to the recent film. The trailer shows that Dune: Awakening wisely takes heavy inspiration from this film. Designs for Arrakis, stillsuits, sandworms, and other elements of the Dune universe all have the same designs as in 2021's Dune film.
Players have reasons to be concerned that Dune: Awakening will have major flaws. Dune: Awakening's developer, Funcom, has had experience making a licensed MMO same problems as Marvel's Avengers, but even a few of the same mistakes could make the game much less fulfilling for players.
Dune: Awakening Would Be Better With The Movie's Actors
Creating satisfying movie tie-in games can be difficult, and Dune: Awakening may fall into many of the same pitfalls as those games before it. Film tie-in games have to stay true to the IP while still feeling like their own story. If the games stray too far from the source material, fans may be less likely to enjoy it. But if the game is too close to the original story, it risks being called a cheap copy or sacrificing enjoyable gameplay elements. Square Enix's ill-fated Marvel game attempted to have its cake and eat it, creating its own unique world while leaning heavily into MCU influences, as is evidenced by the number of MCU skins in Marvel's Avengers. Dune: Awakening similarly takes major design inspiration from the 2021 Dune film, but doesn't feature the film's story or any of the cast so far.
The biggest issue facing Dune: Awakening is the possibility of pay-to-play customization options. Dune: Awakening will be a survival MMO where players compete against each other to survive. However, if Dune: Awakening's custom options are hidden behind paywalls and give paying players an unfair advantage, it will ruin everyone's experience. Early on, Marvel's Avengers' developer promised it wouldn't feature pay-to-play options, then later went back on their word. This was a massive slap in the face to Marvel's Avengers players. Even if Funcom promises early on they won't include any pay-to-play elements, it could change its mind later.
Funcom's Dune: Awakening is set up to have the same issues that made Marvel's Avengers so controversial. It features similar design choices, including a live service model and a lack of crossover with the films that inspired it. Unless Dune: Awakening is handled carefully, players could pan the game for the same reasons that Marvel's Avengers ended up disappointing.