Several new Dune games have been in the works following the successful release of the movie last year, with strategy game Dune: Spice Wars out now in early access – but there’s also a Dune MMO game coming, and now we may have got our first idea of what the villainous Harkonnens could look like in that game.
We’ve known for a long time that a Dune MMO survival game is in development at Funcom, the team behind Conan Exiles. However, in the last two years, we haven’t even seen a single piece of artwork from the new Dune.
Now, two artists working at Funcom have revealed a detailed 3D model for a character called Captain Iakin Nefud Harkonnen. While they do label it as “fan art” (quotes theirs), Rui Pereira is a 3D character artist at Funcom working on Conan Exiles and Dune, and 3D hair artist Andre Pires also confirms he is working on Dune. Consequently, it at least gives fans a possible idea as to where the Dune game is going in terms of character designs – who knows, this captain may even appear in the final game.
While Harkonnen’s design is influenced more by the 1984 David Lynch movie than the 2021 one, Pereira says that he “introduced some newer elements to give it a more modern vibe” while aiming for the “feel of the Harkonnens.” He says that the character is someone “who encapsulates Harkonnens soul, making him decadent and hardened by battles but also with a smirk as to say: ‘I will not be defeated easily’.”
While neither artist offers any direct insight about Funcom’s game, other than reconfirming it as “a survival game based on the Dune IP,” this art is pretty much the only Dune-related thing to come out of the Funcom team since the project’s announcement. Hopefully, we’ll get a proper look at the Dune MMO sooner rather than later.
As for Dune: Spice Wars, it’s currently in early access and just released its big multiplayer update with the fifth faction on its way sometime this summer. We’re betting on House Corrino.
