There would understandably be a significant amount of pressure on any Dune game, considering it would be based on a world that was created nearly 60 years ago. Given how much time has passed since the first Dune novel was released, it makes sense that the IP would now have a very dedicated following who would cringe at anything in a Dune game being out of alignment with the source material. In light of that, as a game only rooted in the Dune universe, rather than being based on stories already told, Funcom’s Dune: Awakening grants players a degree of freedom that not every game adaptation can. As an MMO, it’s important that Dune: Awakening finds its footing in the realm of player expression and roleplay, and it certainly does that. Sure, it could have easily put players in the shoes of someone iconic like Paul Atreides, but instead, it gives them a character with no past, no predetermined ties to important Dune characters and factions, and it simply asks players to be themselves. In this space, it offers players the freedom to chart their own path, even if it means they are doing so with a powerless nobody seemingly doomed to wander the unforgiving sands of Arrakis alone.

Related

Dune: Awakening Review

Dune: Awakening thrives in atmosphere, worldbuilding, and survival depth, even if its combat and grind somewhat drag behind its setting and systems.

Dune: Awakening Finds Power in Letting Players Be Powerless

No Past, No Pressure

Traditionally, MMOs lean heavily into power fantasy, granting players characters who are seen as “chosen” or “unique” to the world and therefore play a major role in shaping its future. Player characters in these MMOs generally have special abilities that become more powerful over time, and the combat and loot systems are more exaggerated on account of that. Doom: Awakening, however, strips players of that fantasy and grounds them as a nobody in a world with inflexible rules that were set in stone nearly six decades ago.

During Dune: Awakening’s character creation, players can choose their homeworld, caste, and mentor, with the first two having no major impact on gameplay.

With no fixed noble lineage or legendary heritage to worry about, Dune: Awakening throws off the expectations tied to big names and heroes, and it’s liberating. Whether players choose to hail from Caladan or Giedi Prime during Dune: Awakening’s character creation sequence, the only real consequence is a unique dialogue option and an emote. In other words, these options don’t gate any main story arcs or quests. Instead, it’s just pure flavor and role-playing immersion, which are all but essential to ensuring the game remains an authentic extension of its source material.
Alternate Timeline, Alternate Self

To top it all off, Dune: Awakening is set in an alternate timeline where Paul Atreides never existed and the Fremen are missing, allowing for even more creative freedom. Funcom ensured the survival MMO would still draw its nutrients from the world of Dune, but it also managed to create a world that could still be one of its own creation. That liberty applies to the path players choose as well, as there is no destined hero arc to follow. Rather, players define their own path and impact the world organically as the nobody that they are.

With no fixed noble lineage or legendary heritage to worry about, Dune: Awakening throws off the expectations tied to big names and heroes, and it’s liberating.

By essentially rewriting the rules of who matters on Arrakis, Dune: Awakening offers players a clean slate in the Dune universe. There is no prophecy to fulfill, no bloodline to protect, and no legacy to live up to. Without a grand title or fixed path, players are free to explore who they want to become, rather than who they are expected to be. That quiet freedom, strange as it may seem in a world so bound by tradition, allows Dune: Awakening to truly come into its own while still being faithful to MMO traditions.

Dune: Awakening

Released

June 10, 2025

Engine

Unreal Engine 5

PC Release Date

June 10, 2025