The open world survival game based on Dune will be developed by German studio NUKKLEAR alongside Funcom, as the two companies revealed today in a joint press release.
NUKKLEAR recently released the helicopter shooter Comanche, published by THQ Nordic. They also worked on UI/UX design for the Destroy All Humans! remake, collaborated with ROCKFISH Games on the first Everspace, and are also credited for contributing to Project Cars Go.
Additionally, NUKKLEAR (based in Hanover) received €1.6 million by the BMVI (Bundesministerium für Verkehr und Digitale Infrastruktur) as part of the “Computerspieleförderung des Bundes” German Federal Government Grant. This fund will be used to support the studio’s production on this project.
Kirk Lenke, CEO of NUKKLEAR, stated:
Funcom CEO Rui Casais added:
As you may remember from our previous reports, Funcom announced to have licensed the Dune IP for gaming adaptations back in 2019. Then, after the company got acquired by Tencent, the scope of the upcoming open world survival game significantly expanded, which eventually led the Norwegian company to seek help.
Of course, with the first movie in the new Dune adaptation widely regarded as one of the best films released this year, the mainstream hype for the franchise is at an all-time high. With Dune: Part Two currently scheduled to hit theaters on October 20th, 2023, it is likely that Funcom and NUKKLEAR will do their utmost to launch this game as close as possible to that.
