Dune: Spice Wars Is Set to Leave Early Access and Launch Next Week on September 14

Shiro Games has announced that Dune: Spice Wars is set to leave early access next week and it will be available via Steam and Xbox Game Pass. Although described as a 4X game the developers have added in their post on Steam that it’s more of a hybrid RTS/4X which features elements of both. Other details shared include that there will be a campaign Conquest mode in which multiple players can participate and that the game has influences spanning from board games along with previous video games, plus the books and movies. However, it is not directly based on any of them. An average game can last up to 2-3 hours or as little as 30-45 minutes.

At first, Dune: Spice Wars will only be available via Steam or Xbox Game Pass, and crossplay is supported, but the developers have said they are working on getting it over to GeForce Now soon. Those looking to play it on a Steam Deck, which could be quite challenging given its small screen, might be able to but the developers have said that it is not officially supported for it yet. Presently modding will not be supported but it might happen down the road as the main focus is on just getting the game out so players can enjoy it. Some other features also include procedurally generated maps, the inclusion of Ordos from the Westwood Studios games in the 1990s and 2000s, tutorials, up to six factions available to play at launch, and four ways that players can win the game. Dune: Spice Wars is set to arrive on September 14th for $29.99.

Per Steam:

Hello Everyone!

First up, thank you all for all the feedback following the announcement of House Ecaz. We’re very happy with how the faction is coming together and we can’t wait to hear your thoughts on Arrakis’ newest arrival when the game launches out of Early Access later this month, which conveniently leads us to our next announcement…

We are very proud to share that Dune: Spice Wars launches out of Early Access and into 1.0 on the 

14th of September

!

With release now within spitting distance, we thought it would be a good time to address some of the burning questions we’ve been getting of late and give some details on what to expect from this major milestone in D:SW’s development!

So read on for the official Dune: Spice Wars 1.0 F.A.Q…

What is Dune Spice Wars?

Dune Spice Wars is a 4X featuring real time strategy game elements based in Frank Herbert’s iconic Dune universe

How much will it cost?

The current price for the game is $/€29.99, but will rise to $/€34.99 upon the launch out of Early Access.

When does the game release into 1.0?

The game releases on Steam on September 14th.

How big will the download be?

The game client is likely to be around 4GB at release.

What are the system requirements for Dune: Spice Wars?

The system requirements are as follows:

Is it an RTS or a 4X?

It is both. The game is real time, but the pace is slower than in a typical RTS (and you can pause and fast forward). The game also features exploration, territory control, economic growth, combat, politics and spying, features that make it a true 4X game but do not detract from the RTS experience.

On average, how long will one game last? Does it depend on the faction you have chosen?

Depending on your strategy and the chosen difficulty, for a newer player games can generally last up to 2 to 3 hours. That being said with much of our community now fully familiar with the game, we’ve seen this go as low as 30-45 minutes.

What victory conditions are there?

There are currently 4 different ways in which you can win a game:

• Overwhelm your opponents and win via military Domination
• Stake your claim as the ruler of Araakis (somewhat) peacefully and democratically via the Landsraad for a Political victory
• Control as much territory and resources as possible for a Hegemony victory
• Control and manipulate Arrakis’ stock/spice market for a CHOAM victory

How many houses are available to play?

Upon release, there will be 6 factions available to play, with House Atreides, House Harkonnen, House Corrino, The Fremen, The Smugglers and the new addition for 1.0; House Ecaz rounding out the roster. Each faction has their own playstyles, traits, strengths and weaknesses, lending a unique flavour to each match based on which faction you choose.

Does the game support multiplayer?

Yes, the game supports up to 4 player multiplayer in 1v1, 2v2 and FFA.

Is there a campaign?

The game features Conquest Mode, which acts as a campaign for Dune: Spice Wars. In Conquest, players take up the control of one of the major houses (Atreides, Harkonnen, Ecaz or Corrino) and fight through a number of unique scenarios and situations that will encourage them to utilize every system at their disposal in order to progress. With procedural maps and scenarios, random perks and challenges, famous characters and houses and a different experience every time you play, Conquest offers unprecedented levels of replayability and immersion into the Dune universe.

Are there tutorials?

There are 5 tutorials designed to help new players better understand the mechanics and gameplay of Dune: Spice Wars, which can be found in the single player menu.

Is Dune: Spice Wars a Movie adaptation or a book adaptation?

Dune: Spice Wars is not a direct adaptation of any one singular source, it is our envisioning of this universe and its characters, so certain aspects may differ from how they are portrayed in particular sources.

While we try to focus on the books, first and foremost, we have drawn inspiration from numerous sources such as the board games, movies, TV shows and extended Dune universe in the design for the game.

Have you taken any inspiration from previous Dune games for this title?

We’ve played all the Dune video games (Dune and Dune 2 especially) and all board games as well so there will be some influence. That said, Dune Spice Wars is very much its own game with a unique take on the struggle for the control of Arrakis.

Ordos?

Ordos as most players know them are a fictional house from the minds of and realised by Westwood Studios, who created a number of Dune RTS’ in the 90’s/00’s. Those games have no relation to Dune: Spice Wars outside of drawing from the same IP, are owned by another company and as such, there are no plans to bring them to Dune: Spice Wars.

Does the game feature procedural map generation?

Yes the maps are procedurally generated, with different options for size, wind strength, sandworm activity and many others. Deep deserts are used as a kind of blocking feature (like seas in other games), at least until you develop technologies to survive longer in the desert, or build a network or airfields. Maps will also feature unique places that readers of the book will recognize.

Why did you choose the somewhat cartoonish and bold art style?

Creating a game on a desert planet has quite a few challenges, one of which is making sure what you look at for a few hours is not bland even if it’s just rock and sand. We spent a lot of time working on the environment and even worked with a geologist specialised in deserts to create things that could exist on such a planet. The stylized art direction comes into play by adding things that bring a variety of colours and shapes so that the environment can stay harsh while not getting boring.

Which languages does the game support?

Currently the game supports the English, German, French, Spanish, Polish, Portuguese, Italian, Simplified Chinese and Russian languages.

Will you have mod support?

There is no mod support at this time, but the possibility of it coming to the game further down the line is not entirely ruled out.

Will there be DLC?

Right now, we are focused on ensuring a full and feature rich product for the release into 1.0. While we won’t rule out the possibility of DLC coming to the game down the line if we see a successful launch and demand from our players, our attentions following release will be turned to finishing the free post launch updates we currently have planned.

What platforms are supported?

Currently, the game is only accessible on Windows PCs but we are looking into the possibility of bringing it to other platforms and OS’.

Is the game playable on Steam deck?

The game does not officially support the Steam Deck, however we are open to exploring the possibility of Steam Deck support down the line.

Does the game support crossplay with the Gamepass version?

It does indeed!

Do you have any social media pages or a discord?

We do indeed! You can find us on Twitter, Facebook, Discord and Reddit

Discord in particular is a great hub for discussing the game with the wider community, chatting with the devs directly and organising multiplayer matches, and we’d love to see you over there!

Is the game accessible on GeForce Now?

We are actually working to have the game compatible with GeForce Now as we speak! We hope to have this finalised by the time of the Early Access launch, but if not, very shortly after launch.

What involvement does Funcom have with the development of the game?

Things are simple: Shiro Games is in charge of the whole development process and marketing, while Funcom act as co-publishers alongside us.

Don’t hesitate to drop any questions you might have in the comments section, we’ll do what we can to get back to you all!

Otherwise, we’ll see you all on the 14th…

– Shiro Games

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