'Open world multiplayer' DUNE game in the works by Funcom

A press release from Funcom has revealed that the studio is partnering up with Legendary Studio to begin pre-production on a new 'open world multiplayer' game based in the DUNE universe.

DUNE, which is a science fiction novel created by American author Frank Herbert in 1965 encapsulates a desert-like world set in a distant future feudal interstellar society. The book grabbed the attention of many readers and even went on to win numerous awards, such as the 1966 Hugo Award and 2003's best-selling science fiction novel. Herbert then went on to write five more novels, each diving deeper into the DUNE universe.

Now, Conan Exiles, Age of Conan and The Secret World developer 'Funcom' have announced a partnership with Legendary Studios to create a brand new "open world multiplayer" game based in the DUNE universe. According to the press release, the partnership between the two companies will last six years and will produce "at least three titles on the PC/Console platforms", one being the "open world multiplayer" game. The full press release can be found within the entirety of this post.

Press release:

Funcom has entered into an exclusive partnership with Legendary Studios to develop games based on the works of Frank Herbert's DUNE, one of the world's best known science fiction universes with multiple adaptations into movies, games and other media.

This is a six year partnership to release at least three titles on the PC/Console platforms, with one of the games planned to be in the "Open World Multiplayer" genre that will enter into pre-production in Funcom's Oslo studio during 2019.

Entering into this partnership is in line with the company's strategy of working with strong Intellectual Properties, allowing for two different vast and well known universes - CONAN and DUNE - to be available for the Company's games.

CEO Rui Casais said:

"Funcom has a strong history of working with beloved sci-fi/fantasy intellectual properties including our bestsellers Age of Conan and Conan Exiles. So many of us at Funcom, myself included, are huge fans of Frank Herbert's work and we are thrilled to have the opportunity to collaborate withLegendary to bring the iconic DUNE universe to life for gamers all over the globe."

Some fun facts about DUNE: DUNE was so widely received that the novels went onto to be created into a film in 1984. Then in 2000 a mini series was made, followed by a selection of video games and the last being developed by Cyro Interactive/DreamCatcher Interactive in 2001.