Dune: Spice Wars is Getting its Full Release Soon

Admittedly, I’m not much of a Dune fan. My dad loves the original film from 1984, and I know a few people who love the books. Personally, it just passed me by. However, I’m always curious to see how various IPs are turned into games, so I’ve been watching the development of Dune: Spice Wars off and on. It seems that after over a year in development, it may almost be time for the Spice to flow.

According to developer Shiro Games and publisher Funcom, Dune: Spice Wars will be getting its 1.0 release on September 14^th. This will be the 6^th major content update for the 4X Strategy title and will bring it out of Early Access. Here is what the press release has to say about the upcoming full launch.

“The full release will bring the sixth major content update since the game entered Early Access, introducing the opulent and politically sharp House Ecaz. With a total of six factions now warring over the priceless spice, the pursuit of power is as unpredictable as the sands of Arrakis themselves.

Throughout Early Access, Dune: Spice Wars has continued to grow and be refined thanks to a clear content roadmap and feedback-based updates.

The new arrivals, House Ecaz, wield power like a paintbrush, rapidly expanding its influence across the hostile canvas of Arrakis, where sun and sandworm devour all. The prestige of their artworks grants them unique power over the Landsraad, letting them stand toe-to-toe with even the Atreides in terms of political clout.

Dune: Spice Wars is a grand strategy 4X game played in real-time, with countless paths to planetary domination and control over the spice. In solo or multiplayer, gain the upper hand through any combination of intrigue, warfare, politics, industry, and subterfuge.

The sci-fi masterpiece by Frank Herbert, Dune, is the narrative foundation upon which Dune: Spice Wars is based, and it informs the game’s design deeply, going beyond flavor and setting. The epic scope, Machiavellian plotting, and brutal backstabbing shine through every facet of the gameplay, which remains easily accessible thanks to clear tutorials and an easy-to-learn, but hard to master array of systems and mechanics.”

Recent reviews for Dune: Spice Wars are mixed, but overall the reviews are mostly positive. It seems the reviews about the game mechanics are pretty positive, but some fans have issues with “creative liberties” that were taken with the IP. I’d say more but some of the complaints are just a little ridiculous. If you are interested in the Dune franchise, you might want to keep an eye out for this one.