Conan Exiles developer Funcom and Northgard Shiro Games have announced Dune: Spice Wars, a new 4X RTS set in the Dune universe.
Nearly three years ago, Conan Exiles developer and publisher Funcom secured a partnership to make games based on Frank Herbert's Dune universe. The company got an investment from Tencent that allowed it to expand the scope of its flagship Dune game, but we're going to be waiting a few years to play it.
What you won't have to wait for, however, is a different Dune game published by Funcom -- get ready to fight in the Spice Wars.
Dune: Spice Wars is a 4X RTS game with multiple playable factions and multiple ways to achieve your goals. You can use spies and assassins, politics, technological superiority, or outright war to conquer your enemies.
This game will be the first Dune title to be published by Funcom while we wait for its ambitious open-world survival game that is still in development. Notably, Dune: Spice Wars is being developed by a team who knows a little something about this kind of game: it's been created by Shiro Games, the same people who brought you Northgard.
"I think I speak for every single person at Shiro Games, when I say that we are all massive fans of Dune -- both of the original novel and the new and spectacular Denis Villeneuve film," Shiro Games’ CEO Sebastien Vidal said in a press release. "To be able to bring this universe to life as a strategy game again is incredible."
"The Dune universe is the perfect setting for a strategy game," Vidal explained. "You have major factions, such as House Atreides and House Harkonnen, with a rivalry that spans back centuries. You have political intrigue, deception, and warfare, all centered around what is by far the most valuable substance in the universe: Spice. And then there is the stage itself, Arrakis, a hostile planet full of hidden wonders to explore. Massive sandworms that can devour entire armies, sandstorms, spice harvesters, all of which our amazing team of developers have incorporated into this game."
When is the Dune: Spice Wars Release Date?
The Dune: Spice Wars release date will be sometime in Early 2022. The game will be launching in Steam Early Access on PC first; neither a more specific release date nor a price have been announced.
4X fans will have a lot to look forward to next year! For now, you can learn more about Dune: Spice Wars by visiting its official website.
What do you think of Dune: Spice Wars? What's your favorite book in the Dune franchise? Let us know in the comments below!
