Dune: Awakening Creative Director Reveals Denis Villeneuve Once Thought the Game’s Title Was Too Close to Star Wars

Dune: Awakening nearly faced an unusual naming concern during development, as director Denis Villeneuve reportedly felt the title could be too close to Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Funcom Chief Creative Officer Joel Bylos revealed the detail while discussing the studio’s relationship with Legendary, which oversees the film side of the Dune franchise.

Speaking to GamesIndustry.biz in an interview published September 30, Bylos explained that Legendary handled various approvals throughout development. Some decisions could be escalated to higher-level stakeholders, including author Frank Herbert’s estate or Villeneuve himself.

According to Bylos, Villeneuve’s feedback was that the game’s title

“could be a little too close to Star Wars,”

specifically referencing The Force Awakens. Despite the concern, the name Dune: Awakening ultimately remained unchanged.

The revelation offers an unusual look into how closely Dune: Awakening was scrutinized while Funcom was building its adaptation of the iconic science-fiction property.

Funcom Earned Legendary’s Trust

Although the game was subject to external approvals, Bylos said the process became relatively straightforward once Funcom established trust with Legendary. Rather than constantly requiring direct intervention, many decisions could move through a more routine approval system.

“We submit things to Jira, they approve within a certain amount of time,”

Bylos explained. He added that if approval did not arrive within the expected period, Funcom could escalate the request.

Bylos said the process became less important once both sides understood that Funcom was treating the property responsibly.

“When you’ve established that trust, the processes aren’t necessarily as important,”

he said.

That relationship appears to have given Funcom considerable room to develop Dune: Awakening while still working within the expectations surrounding the franchise.

The interview also provided an update on Funcom’s plans following its restructuring and studio closures. While the company continues supporting Conan Exiles, Bylos confirmed that most of the team remains focused on Dune: Awakening.

“The majority of people are on Dune Awakening, and that’s kind of the way it will stay, I’d say, for quite a while,”

Bylos said.

He added that Funcom is not ready to begin another major game yet, with future projects still existing only as early ideas. For now, the studio’s priority remains expanding and supporting Dune: Awakening as it reaches a wider audience through its console launch.