Publisher Funcom has announced that Dune: Spice Wars will launch on Steam Early Access for PC on April 26.
A real-time strategy game adaptation based on Frank Herbert’s popular sci-fi novels, development is being handled by Northgard developer Shiro Games. Dune: Spice Wars is set on the planet Arrakis and features four factions battling for control of the planet and its unique resource, the spice Melange. As a 4X strategy game, Dune: Spice Wars also has a slower pace as players can pause the action if necessary.
Players will need to balance military might, infiltration, political influence, and resource production as Atreides, Harkonnen, Smugglers, or Fremen factions, each with their own strengths and weaknesses.
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For native Fremen, the faction excels in stealth and guerrilla tactics, can move faster through the environment, and can use sandworms as a fast travel mechanism.
This isn’t the only Dune game in development, as Funcom is also developing an open-world survival multiplayer game set in this universe.
On the movie side of the franchise, last year’s Dune movie was well received and won multiple Oscars at this year’s Oscars. As for the sequel, which should arrive in theaters in October 2023, it is in “full preparation” and its script is “largely finished” according to director Denis Villeneuve.
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