Developer Shiro Games' Funcom unveiled Dune: Spice Wars during the 2021 Game Awards, just a couple of months after Denis Villeneuve's Dune adaptation hit theaters. The real-time strategy title will come complete with 4X elements that should allow players to carefully chart their path to victory against opponents.
Dune: Spice Wars seemingly takes inspiration from the Frank Herbert novels, films, and previous games; thus, fans of the series should find plenty of touchstones with which to connect. That much is evident in the details shared and footage shown, so far. For instance, the first gameplay trailer showcased troops fleeing a sandstorm. Shiro Games previously teased three of the four playable factions in Dune: Spice Wars as well, which include Smugglers and long-standing rivals House Atreides and House Harkonnen. The latest bit of news about the RTS title sheds even more light on the in-game rivalries.
Shiro Games and Funcom have revealed plans to launch Dune: Spice Wars in Steam Early Access later this month on Tuesday, April 26. In detailing the early access date on PC, the two companies additionally let loose details about the game's fourth and final playable faction - the Fremen. As a desert-dwelling group, the Fremen will have a much easier time navigating Spice Wars' harsh outside environments, providing it with an advantage over House Atreides, House Harkonnen, and the Smugglers. The Fremen's guerrilla tactics and ability to use sandstorms as a traversal tool should especially approve beneficial to players who side with this particular Dune: Spice Wars faction.
With the Early Access due date right around the corner, Dune faithful don't have to wait too much longer to see what Shiro Games' latest experience has in store. Hopes for Spice Wars' potential success run high, too, especially since the last Dune-branded game released over two decades ago in the form of the poorly-received Frank Herbert's Dune in 2001.
Following the release of the Denis Villeneuve-directed film last year, the franchise as a whole is enjoying quite the renaissance. And Spice Wars does not mark Funcom's only foray into the sci-fi world, either. Notably, the publisher has ed forces with Conan Exiles developer Nukklear to produce an untitled Dune survival game, which will take inspiration from the aforementioned Conan the Barbarian survival experience. Information abou this project presently remains scant.
Dune: Spice Wars enters Steam Early Access on April 26.
