Norwegian Funcom takes Dune to consoles

Funcom finally has a date. Dune: Awakening lands on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S on September 22. The very same day a single-player mode comes to every platform, one of the most requested features since launch.

The game sold well when it came out, but it has gradually shed players since. The market is brutal right now, and there is no shortage of things to spend our gaming hours on these days. We are drowning in options!

I haven’t played Dune: Awakening myself beyond the character creator last autumn, so I am one of the people who has followed this game from the sidelines.

A bearded leader in a red robe stands over a kneeling, armoured character surrounded by guards Dune: Awakening screenshot. / Credit Funcom

What’s in single-player?

The new single-player mode lets you play through the whole story yourself. All of Book One, all five acts, from the beginning to its dramatic end.

You can run it completely solo, with friends on a private server, or with strangers on a larger multiplayer server. It ships with three preset difficulty levels for the survival side, or full manual control of the individual settings if you want to tune everything yourself.

Two characters on a sand dune look out over Arrakis with a purple spice blow in the distance Two friends solving problems in Dune: Awakening. / Credit Funcom

The console versions get a tailored interface and controls, with two graphics modes: Performance (60 fps, default) and Quality (I guess 30 fps?).

A player base built into the cliffs with energy shields and a parked ornithopter Dune: Awakening screenshot. / Credit Funcom

Funcom is also adding two new weapon classes: the Pyrocket, a kind of fire-rocket launcher, and Dual Blades. Later this year there is also the Polar Cap, a new map at Arrakis’ north pole with new content and new survival mechanics, arriving as a free update. Read this as more biomes.

Characters in combat with blades and energy weapons in front of a green portal Dune: Awakening screenshot. / Credit Funcom

I’m rooting for Funcom

I love Frank Herbert’s universe, and I root for Norwegian developers, even when they are owned by foreign investors. Funcom is based in Oslo and is owned by Tencent today, but it is still considered a Norwegian studio with a long track record and lots of exciting IPs under their care.

A console launch plus a full single-player mode is exactly the kind of fresh start a game like this needs. I hope it gives both Funcom and Dune a solid boost, and maybe this is what finally takes me from the character creator to actually setting foot on Arrakis.

See Dune: Awakening on SteamDune: Awakening on Steam