Hold your ornithopters, folks; Dune: Awakening was just delayed until June 10. Funcom released a statement explaining the decision, stating that due to feedback from beta testers, the company is pushing the launch date back by three weeks so they have “the time needed to make improvements that will lead to a better gameplay experience from day one.” A head start for eligible players will begin on June 5.
That said, games journalists and other content creators are still playing the early parts of the game, and the embargo on their experiences will lift on April 25. Our impressions of the game will go live around that time, too, so tune back in to read our thoughts.
While the delay is unfortunate, it’s not necessarily a bad thing. It’s far better for a game to release slightly later and in a more playable form than for a buggy experience to mar the public’s first impressions. Funcom also says the delay gives it the chance to hold a huge beta weekend sometime next month that will let even more people test out the game early. The team says more information on that will be announced soon.
Funcom writes, “Dune: Awakening is a beast of a game. This is a multiplayer survival on a massive scale, and we’re making gameplay and technical strides not seen in the genre before. We want to make sure we stick the landing.” Delays are always disappointing, but the team’s wording gives us hope that they are taking the game seriously and treating it with the care it deserves.
There will also be a live stream today at 12 PM ET/9 AM PT on YouTube, Steam, and Twitch with the developers that will focus on the combat elements of the game (and where the team will likely explain some of the reasoning behind the delay.) Don’t forget — you can go ahead and download the character creator now to start designing your player ahead of the game’s launch.