Summary
- Sandworms in Dune: Awakening will be unkillable, posing a constant threat to players.
- The survival MMO will feature multiple types of sandworms, with the biggest specimens only appearing in the deep desert and while harvesting spice.
- Funcom shared a large amount of new information about the game as part of a 30-minute developer diary released on March 4.
Sandworms in Dune: Awakening will be unkillable, Funcom has revealed. The confirmation of their immortality arrived as part of a new developer diary featuring an extensive behind-the-scenes look at the upcoming game, and offering some other details about how Dune: Awakening will handle the most iconic creature from the seminal sci-fi saga.
Dune: Awakening is a survival MMO that was originally announced in August 2022. Although Funcom has yet to treat the game to a release date, the Norwegian studio has just shared its most in-depth look at the project to date, having done so in the form of a 30-minute Dune: Awakening Direct stream.
Dune: Awakening Open World Game Shows Arrakis, Base-Building, Combat, and More
Developer and publisher Funcom shares a new look and deep dive into Dune: Awakening, a stunning and ambitious survival MMO game.
Sandworms Will Be a Constant Threat in Dune: Awakening
Among other things, the March 4 broadcast revealed that the upcoming MMO will try to capture the essence of sandworms from Frank Herbert's books in a multitude of ways. To begin with, Funcom Chief Creative Officer Joel Bylos confirmed that the game's rendition of Dune's sandworms will be a constant threat to the player. Not long after one starts walking through the Arrakis desert, they will hear the hiss of the sand in the distance as the sandworm begins to move towards them. The hissing will eventually turn into trembling, followed by the sandworm erupting from the ground with a terrifying roar.
Once that happens, Dune: Awakening players will only have seconds to live if they are unable to make it to rocky ground. Combat will not be an option, because the menacing desert creatures will be unkillable. But that doesn't mean that avoiding them will come down to pure luck and risk-averseness; players will also be able to craft thumpers, small stakes with spring-loaded clappers that are used for calling sandworms in the world of Dune by rhythmically striking the ground. This piece of equipment will hence help lure sandworms and buy parties more time to get away.
There's really only one rule: the Sandworm will always come.
Merely exploring the world of Dune: Awakening will hence require constant vigilance. "There's really only one rule: the Sandworm will always come," Bylos said. However, the threat posed by the most dangerous type of sandworms won't always loom over the player's head; the biggest specimens will only be encountered in the deep desert of Arrakis and when harvesting Melange, better known as "spice." And while all sandworms in the game will be unkillable, only the biggest ones will be a grave threat to spice harvesters, on account of being able to simply swallow them whole.
While all of this might sound like a compelling experience for fans of Frank Herbert's universe and survival games, it will still be a while before Dune: Awakening reaches the masses. Closed beta testing is already underway, with Funcom promising to keep sharing more details about the MMO throughout 2024. Whether that means the game has a chance of launching before the end of the year is unclear, but it certainly seems to be on course to hit the market well before the third Dune movie reaches silver screens, assuming it gets greenlit.
Dune: Awakening
- Released
- June 10, 2025
WHERE TO PLAY
Rise from survival to dominance on the most dangerous planet in the universe. Dune: Awakening combines the grit and creativity of sandbox survival games with the social interactivity of a large, persistent multiplayer game to create a unique and ambitious Open World Survival MMO.
Awaken The Sleeper
Your journey begins on Arrakis, with its vast deserts and colossal sandworms. Meet characters from the movies and books as you follow your story across Dune. Discover new allies and enemies and exploit your relationships to uncover the mystery that lies just beneath the surface of the sands.
Choose Your Identity
Craft your identity and build your prowess, from deep character creation to skills and abilities taught by specialists like Mentats and Bene Gesserit. Declare your loyalties by what you wear and become known by what you do, whether you are a specialized master or multi-talented adept.
Explore Arrakis Like Never Before
Dune: Awakening brings the epic landscapes of Arrakis to vivid life. Explore boundless rolling dunes, ancient underground Ecology Labs, and deep canyons pockmarked with caves, where bandits seek easy prey. Wander the bustling villages before braving the lawless and ever-changing deep desert.
