There was a new trailer for Dune: Awakening at the Summer Game Fest. In a new Direct for the game, Creative Director Joel Byloss presented further new features and story elements. Among other things, the game lets you physically travel between worlds in ornithopters.
What does Joel Byloss say about the story? At the beginning of the Direct, the creative director of Dune: Awakening once again speaks specifically about the story teased in the story trailer:
The game is set in a world in which Lady Jessica remains loyal to her order: as requested by the Bene Gesserit, she gives birth to her daughter Arestei. Her son Paul, the main character in the books and films, does not exist. The little daughter foresees the attack on the Atreides on Arrakis. This is how her house survives.
Duke Leto asks the ruling councillor for permission to continue the Assassins’ war on Arrakis. This is granted. In order to secure the spice trade, it is now under the protection of the Sardaukar – the Emperor’s elite unit.
This is how the different factions that players can support come to the desert planet. The story will also reveal whether the Fremen have really disappeared completely in this reality.
In addition to the MMO elements, Joel Bylos conjures up a fundamentally clear path through the game’s story.
The new Dune MMO finally explains why everything is different from the movies
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With the ornithopter to the desert and back
What kind of MMO elements should there be? Like a classic MMO, Dune: Awakening is based on server structures:
When you start the game, you choose your base server where you can (permanently) build and socialize. These servers should always have at least 40 players. They are called Hagga Bisin.
Once you have crafted your first ornithopter, you can physically fly to other places with it: you take off and enter your own server. There you can be seen as small ornithopter miniatures. You navigate a huge map of Arrakis and meet other players who are also on their way to other locations.
Possible destinations for your flight:
The social hubs allow you to trade, craft and visit nightclubs, among other things. The Deep Desert resets weekly and is designed to accommodate hundreds of players at the same time – this is where the core of the game takes place: the fight for spices, blueprints and resources.
Overall, all servers except Hagga Bisin should be accessible to everyone.
At the end of the Direct, Bylos again promises that there will be new information about gamescom 2024. Whether there will finally be information about a possible release is unfortunately still up in the air. At the first gameplay reveal in February 2024, we asked the developers exactly this question: Dune: Awakening Release – What do we know? MeinMMO asked the developers