In the future, you can be eaten by the sandworms yourself – also thanks to the help of a Europe studio.
Dune has been on a new wave of success since the highly successful movie that started in Europe cinemas on September 16, 2021. The six-book series by the author Frank Herbert is one of the great classics of SciFi literature and was not only implemented as a feature film, but also as a series and, of course, several times as a video game.
A new game highlight for Dune fans could be the MMORPG from developer Funcom (Conan Exiles), which was announced in 2019. Not much is known about the project so far, but there is good news for Europey as a development location, like the industry magazine Gameswirtschaft reports: The Hanoverian studio Nukklear is working on the ambitious game!
Safe through the desert thanks to ornithopers
What is already known about the Dune MMO? Not much, except that it should offer an open world and also include survival aspects. The project has officially been in development since the end of 2018 and, based on the current state of knowledge, should be completed in 2023.
What is the role of Nukklear? The Hanover-based studio will primarily take care of the numerous means of transport on the desert planet so that you don’t get eaten as a lunch snack every few steps by a hungry desert worm. This applies to both the design of the vehicles and the associated gameplay elements.
Transport helicopters, ornithopters, spice harvesters – all vehicles are the responsibility of Nukklear. According to the games industry, the Federal Ministry of Transport (yes, they are responsible for game funding in Europey) is responsible for the project subsidized with 1.6 million dollars.
By the way, you can find out how the film series will continue after the successful debut here:
The box office success continues
Dune 2 will hit theaters in 2023, that’s already known
These are the reactions of those involved
And what do those involved say about it? Of course, both Nukklear and Funcom are excited about the news. Nukklear chief Kirk Lenke said:
We are very grateful that we can bring Dune closer to a new target group together with Funcom. We have worked on many projects over the past few years, but Dune is by far the largest to date. Our team is looking forward to the challenge and will bring all its experience to the table.
At Funcom, too, they are apparently pleased that they have been able to win the Hanover-based studio as a development partner. Board member Rui Casais also highlights the size of the Dune project:
The Dune Open World Survial game is the most ambitious project that we at Funcom have ever tackled. It is an absolute must that we have talented and reliable partners by our side. Nukklear offers just that. We particularly benefit from their experience with in-game vehicles and planes, but we generally appreciate their work as creative game developers.
Finally, we have a special treat for you: Because Dune 2 is very old, but is still considered one of the best and most influential real-time strategy games of all time. Why? Ober-Freme Heinrich Lenhardt explains this to you in his review:
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Hall of Fame of Best Games – Dune 2
What do you want from the Dune MMO? Would you prefer a focus on story-heavy PvE content, or do you see potential in player-versus-player battles around the warring factions of the book? Write us your opinion in the comments!
