Dune: Spice Wars gets its early access release date

Dune: Spice Wars, the new strategy game based on Frank Herbert’s science-fiction universe and its recent movie adaptation, will launch on Steam Early Access for PC on April 26.

Publisher Funcom and developer Shiro Games — which made the well-regarded Northgard — also confirmed that the Fremen would be one of the four playable factions in the game at launch. Houses Harkonnen, Atreides and a faction made up of Smugglers had been already announced. Four factions will compete for the control of spice on Arrakis’ desert planet.

Fremen who live in deserts will move more quickly than any other factions. The sandworms can be used by them as an efficient travel tool. The sietches are skilled at stealth and guerrilla techniques and they aim to unite all Fremen communities across the planet in order to defeat the Imperial invaders. They are led by Liet Kynes, the character played in 2021 movie by Sharon Duncan-Brewster. Chani, her daughter (Zendaya) is one of their councillors.

Image: Shiro Games/Funcom

Dune: Spice WarsThis is a strategy game that uses larger 4X elements and includes an overworld map. To achieve success, you need to balance military power with infiltration and resource production. It sounds almost like Total War. The initial early access release won’t include multiplayer or any story driven single-player campaigns.

Funcom also has a multiplayer open-world survival game in development set within the Dune universe.