VGTimes interview with Dune: Awakening producer at TGS 2024: will movie characters appear in the game, how big will the world be, and what is the main difference between the project and the Dune universe

Next year, the large-scale MMORPG Dune: Awakening based on the Dune universe by Frank Herbert will be released. Developers from the Funcom studio, creators of Conan Exiles, brought a demo version to Tokyo Games Show 2024, where our editor-in-chief Rodion Ilin managed to talk with the studio's senior producer Farah Nasri and learn the main details of the future project.

VGTimes: Tell us about your future game, what is it?

Fárah Nasri: Dune: Awakening is an open-world MMO survival game in which you need to explore the world of Arrakis, fighting with everyone who is trying to kill you. Of course, among them there will be a giant sandworm. And among the dangers there will be sandstorms, and you will need to overcome them in order to gain power and collect the precious «spice» on Arrakis.

VGTimes: How is Dune: Awakening connected to the Dune movies?

Farah Nasri: The game actually takes place in a separate timeline. In our universe, Paul was never born, and Lady Jessica had a baby girl instead. But you'll still be able to meet some familiar characters on Arrakis. And since Paul was never born, the Harkonnens and Atreides are still fighting, which you'll also see in the game world.

VGTimes: Tell us about character creation. What settings will there be in the editor, how many characters will we be able to choose from? Will there be any classes?

Fárah Nasri: As a player, you will be able to create your own character, and that is where the game begins. The editor starts in the Agony Cube scene, which is familiar to many from books and movies. Here you choose your starting ability and birthplace. You can customize the hero to your taste, like in Cyberpunk 2077, the level of options will be about the same — hair color, eye color, skin color, even pigmentation. So we expect players to spend a lot of time creating a character to express themselves in the way they want.

VGTimes: What vehicles will be in Dune: Awakening?

Farah Nasri: The first thing players will unlock is the sand bike. Later in the game, they will be able to find tanks and the famous ornithopter, which they will be able to control while flying around the world of Arrakis. We have many types of transport, but unfortunately I cannot tell you more about them now. We would like you to find and try out all the transport in the game for yourself.

VGTimes: Will players be able to travel from one planet to another, or will the gameplay be focused only on Arrakis?

Farah Nasri: Yes, for now. Traveling to other planets will not be possible, but we are considering this possibility in the future. However, Arrakis is a large planet with different regions that the player can visit, looking for new paths to explore, avoiding deadly storms and fighting spy ambushes.

VGTimes: How big is the in-game world compared to other projects?

Farah Nasri: In its current state, it's hard to compare it to anything. I will say that at first you will start with survival anyway, and then you will get to a huge desert map, which you will have to explore for a long time, even if you fly an ornithopter. So there will be more than enough space for exploration.

VGTimes: Okay, what about weapons?

Farah Nasri: We have melee weapons, which are well known from Dune and will be especially effective against people with shields. For example, you will start with a simple metal knife, but later you will be able to equip it and turn it into a high-quality sword, and the skills you choose during the game and during character creation will help you improve your swordsmanship. We also have ranged weapons, but the bullets in them are replaced with darts, as they are more effective in the world of Dune. There will also be transport weapons — for example, the same tanks and ornithopters are equipped with them.

VGTimes: And what about special abilities?

Fára Nasri: There will be quite a lot of them too. For example, in one of the trailers we showed not only weapon skills, but also some other skills that are in the game. So, you could see one character's Bene Gesserit skill, which allowed him to command other people with a special voice, forcing them to come to him.

VGTimes: Will we be able to meet any of the characters from the original books or movies in Dune: Awakening?

Fárah Nasri: As I said, this is a separate timeline, but you will be able to meet familiar characters. And for example, cooperate with them or complete some of their quests. Right now I can't share details, since we are still in development, but we will have a strong storyline that will distinguish the project from other survival games. It will be something like a journey that will take the player from the very beginning of the story and allow you to meet different characters along the way.

VGTimes: Have you seen the new Dune movie? What did you think of it? Have you met the creators?

Farah Nasri: Yes, I have seen both David Lynch and Denis Villeneuve's adaptations. Personally, I think they are amazing. They did a great job of bringing Arrakis to life and making the sandworms so menacing. Our game will be the same as in the movies — the worm will chase you, so you will have to be careful not to become food. I didn't get to meet the creators, but our creative director was able to talk to them on set. So they are monitoring the development process of the game, but at the same time they give us creative freedom.

VGTimes: What can you tell us about the technical part and plans for the release of Dune: Awakening?

Fárah Nasri: Dune: Awakening is being developed on the Unreal Engine 5, which provides many tools like Lumen, so that we can make a very beautiful game. The project will be released in 2025 on PC, and we will have to wait a little while for releases on Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5, so keep an eye on the announcements. Of course, after the release, we will support Dune: Awakening with new content and features.

VGTimes: And finally, what would you like to wish to the readers of VGTimes?

Fárah Nasri: Hello, VGTimes! We can't wait for you all to play Dune: Awakening when it releases in 2025. Hope you have a great time!

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Dune: Awakening is still a dark horse among future releases. Will it be more exciting than its predecessor, Conan Exiles? We hope so — the universe at the heart of the new MMO is too rich. However, the future release will tell. Are you looking forward to Dune: Awakening?

Interview conducted by Rodion Ilin.

VGTimes has been operating since 2011 and during this time has visited dozens of exhibitions and festivals, where our journalists have collected many exclusive materials. For example, in 2019 we got to a closed screening of Cyberpunk 2077 at gamescom, in 2017 we prepared a photo report from WG Fest, in 2020 we were at the largest gaming event in Central Asia CAGS, and also visited IgroMir several times, where we saw Hideo Kojima and other famous developers.