Dune: Awakening dev speaks out over religious concerns
Dune: Awakening's development team has spoken out over religious concerns after saying its title was going to "sidestep" the topic.
08th Mar 2024 13:25
Images via Funcom | Warner Bros.
Dune: Awakening dev speaks out over religious concerns
Dune: Awakening's development team has spoken out over religious concerns after saying its title was going to "sidestep" the topic.
08th Mar 2024 13:25
Images via Funcom | Warner Bros.
With Dune: Part Two dropping and Dune: Awakening on the horizon, it's an exciting time to be a fan of the franchise. Also, what better time could there be to head to the surface of Arrakis?
It's safe to say an open-world survival game set in the world of Dune has a tonne of potential, and our preview for the title has already got us desperate to see more of what Funcom has to offer. Gameplay aside, alarm bells have been ringing in the community about a potential religious scandal.
It comes after a Eurogamer interview with Chief Creative Officer Joel Bylos, who said the game would "sort of sidestep religion." With religion being such a core part of the Dune universe and its characters, this left a lot of fans extremely concerned - luckily, the devs have responded.
Dune: Awakening developer clarifies how the game will approach religion
Taking to Twitter on March 6, Dune: Awakening developer Funcom issued a statement surrounding religion in the game in an attempt to put players' minds at ease.
Despite previously stating it was looking to "sidestep" the topic, it has now clarified that it recognises "religion is an integral part of the Dune universe." As a result, Dune: Awakening players will have the chance to "meet and interact with people of different religions" throughout.
However, as opposed to the narrative presented in the books, the players themselves are "not a messiah and will not play a major role in any of them." The devs have made it very clear that "leading people on a holy war is not why you arrive on Arrakis" in Dune: Awakening.
Dune: Awakening devs praised for excellent "transparency"
This announcement has been met with widespread praise from fans who love the "transparency" from Funcom and the "straight to the point" statement.
"This is the kind of transparency we need in gaming, this is what our game is, straight to the point, no BS," said one user, with another claiming, "Whoever is on the marketing team is doing a great job, the transparency and openness with the community have sold me on the game."
Let's hope the devs continue to communicate with players in the lead-up to the launch, as at the moment, it's safe to say the hype is building for this blockbuster survival experience.
About The Author
Alex Garton
Alex is a Senior Writer at GGRecon. With a BA (Hons) in English, he has previously written for Dexerto & Gfinity. Specialising in Call of Duty & Apex Legends, he loves (attempting) to improve his aim in competitive shooters and will always make time for a single-player RPG.
