Funcom's Dune Spice Wars drops from Early Access on September 14

We're excited to announce the return of GamesBeat Next, hosted in San Francisco in October, where we'll explore the theme of "Playing the Edge". Apply to speak here and learn more about sponsorship opportunities here. At the event, we will also be announcing 25 Top Video Game Startups as Game Changers 2024. Apply or apply today!

Dune: Spice Wars, the Arrakis 4X strategy game developed by Shiro Games, will be released from Early Access on September 14.

Publisher Funcom has said that the full version of Dune Spice Wars will bring the sixth major content update since the game entered Early Access, introducing a new faction: the opulent and politically savvy House Ecaz. The game is based on Frank Herbert's Dune novels, but it's a very different type of strategy game.

With a total of six factions warring for the priceless spice, the quest for power is as unpredictable as the quicksands of Arrakis itself, Funcom said.

Throughout Steam Early Access, Dune: Spice Wars has continued to grow and refine through a clear content roadmap and feedback-based updates, said the Company. I played a ton of games in Early Access earlier this year and became a spice junkie.

Dune Spice Wars is an RTS with 4X elements. Meet Arrakeen.

In Dune Spice Wars, you fight for control of the planet, which is the only source of spice, a substance that enables interstellar space travel. As the House Atreides faction, you begin with a headquarters in Arrakeen. You can explore, control territory, develop the economy, engage in combat, spy on your enemies, and engage in politics.

Every time you play, the game is different. Maps will be procedurally generated, with different options for size, wind strength, sandworm activity and many more. Deep deserts are used as a sort of blocking feature (like seas in other games), at least until you develop technologies to survive longer in the desert, or build a network or airfields. The maps will also feature unique locations that readers of the book will recognize.

The team said the art style is cartoonish and bold, in part because making a game on a desert planet comes with a lot of challenges, one of which is making sure what you're watching for a few hours isn't bland, even if it's just rock and sand.

Your job is to create outposts and collect resources. You can generate power, create air power, build missile defenses or generate troops. But you have to be careful with your economy, expanding into new parts of the planet without straining yourself and making yourself vulnerable to attack from other factions.