Funcom, the studio behind Dune: Awakening, has announced it will lay off some employees as part of a restructuring effort. The news may come as a surprise to many fans in light of the MMO's widespread popularity since release, although the team has dealt with its fair share of issues, too. Regardless, while work on Dune: Awakening will continue, not all the original staff will be involved in it going forward.
While Funcom has been releasing games for over 30 years, its latest effort has been its biggest hit. Following a strong early access period, Dune: Awakening landed in Steam's top 10 most popular games after its full release, hitting a peak of over 175,000 concurrent players just five days after coming out. However, things are now changing for the game, and Funcom has confirmed that those changes will result in some staff members having to part ways with the studio.
Dune: Awakening Smashes Funcom Record
On the back of a successful launch, Dune: Awakening goes on to cross a major milestone and simultaneously smashes a certain company record for Funcom.
Dune: Awakening Developer Funcom Laying Off Staff Amid Company Transition
In a statement to GamesIndustry.biz, Funcom announced that it was transitioning "from development to long-term live operation," and that this shift would mean letting go of some employees. The company did not specify how many people would be affected, as it may not know that yet itself, saying the team is still assessing the impact and looking for new opportunities for those who it does impact. Funcom also mentioned Dune: Awakening's upcoming console release in the statement, explaining that preparing for that expansion while moving into ongoing support mode will require some restructuring within the studio.
Even before the news of these impending layoffs, Funcom has faced some ups and downs this year. On one hand, Dune: Awakening was the biggest launch in company history, selling faster than any of its previous titles. On the other, fan perceptions of the game have wavered since its release. The fanbase was split on changes to the endgame, and Funcom had to apologize to some Dune: Awakening players and reimburse them for lost in-game items after an update caused a glitch leading to some users losing bases and equipment. The title's PvP elements have also been a point of contention, although the studio has been quick to respond to feedback about all these issues.
Looking forward, there is still a lot on the horizon for the MMO. Funcom has detailed several Dune: Awakening updates coming in the future, including a revamped endgame and the Chapter 3 expansion sometime in early 2026. More updates and DLC will follow, although the timeline and details for these are less clear. In the meantime, Funcom has asked for understanding during this difficult transition and said it will not make any more comments on the matter.
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