He who controls the spice controls the universe. And now, it’s our turn to take control. After more than 20 years, Dune is back in the world of real time strategy. Introducing Dune: Spice Wars.
Announced during this year’s Game Awards show, Dune: Spice Wars is a new 4X RTS game developed by Shiro Games (the folks who made Northgard). Based on Frank Herbert’s novel, players will face off against each other to survive and take over the Spice covered world of Arrakis.
Victory will come from more than simply overpowering your opponents. Players will have to manage the Spice harvesters, avoid massive sand worms, survive sandstorms, and more. Even then, pure force isn’t the only way to win, according to the official press release.
“You can deploy agents to sabotage, assassinate and spy on your opponents. Use political means to influence the Landsraad and pass beneficial resolutions, amass incredible wealth and simply overwhelm the other houses through economic and technological supremacy, or you can opt for open war.”
There’s no doubt that the recent modern film adaption of Dune plays a part in the decision to make this game. In fact, the studio collaborated with film studio Legendary to ensure that the overall style matches to the film.
For those who might not know, Dune is a very important figure in RTS history. Before games like Command and Conquer, Age of Empires, and Warcraft, there was Dune II. This game, having released in 1992, was essential in forming staple components to the entire RTS genre that all other games would take on. It can often be considered a forefather of the genre, and is commonly given a great deal of revere accordingly.
Seeing a new Dune RTS game fills me with a sense of nostalgia and pride. Hopefully Shiro Games does it justice. The game will release in early access sometime next year, with the main content being single player. Multiplayer and a campaign will come with the full release.
