Dune: Awakening is preparing to become more accessible to solo players, and Funcom’s chief creative officer Joel Bylos believes the game’s story is the key reason why its new single-player mode fits into an MMO-survival experience.
Speaking to GamesRadar+ at Gamescom 2026, Bylos made a bold claim about Funcom’s adaptation of Frank Herbert’s universe:
“I think we have the best story in a survival game that exists.”
Dune: Awakening’s Story Was Built for Solo Players
Bylos explained that the development team has worked to ensure players can complete the game’s progression without becoming stuck in content originally balanced around multiplayer groups.
“We did a major balance pass across the game for the solo experience,” he said, adding that the changes should make progression “a lot smoother.”
According to Bylos, the narrative itself already works well outside of multiplayer.
“I think the story of the game works really well for a single-player game,”
he told GamesRadar+, adding that players
“will really enjoy it.”
Funcom has confirmed that Dune: Awakening’s full single-player mode will launch alongside the PlayStation 5 version on September 22. The update will also bring scalable difficulty and additional gameplay customization options, allowing solo players to adjust elements such as resource gathering and enemy health.
The game tells an original story set in an alternate Dune timeline, allowing players to explore Arrakis while becoming involved in conflicts surrounding the Atreides and Harkonnen. With its new solo option, Funcom is betting that its story-driven approach can appeal to players who want to experience the harsh world of Arrakis without depending on other players.
| Release Date | June 19, 2024 |
|---|---|
| Platforms | PC |
| Developer | Funcom |
