Just over a week after its official release, the survival MMO game Dune Awakening has demonstrated its captivating appeal by continuing to record a growing player count, rising to the top of the revenue charts on Steam in the US and UK.
This is a significant milestone for the developer Funcom, which is also paving the way for a potential blockbuster MMO in the market.
From the early access phase reserved for Deluxe and Ultimate buyers, Dune Awakening attracted over 100,000 concurrent players at one point – a remarkable figure in a landscape where demand often faces high entry fees.
However, what makes Funcom truly satisfied is the positive feedback from the gaming community after the game’s vast world opened up. On June 15, the number of online players reached a record of 175,569, marking a 23% increase compared to the previous peak. The allure of Dune Awakening lies in its unique blend of survival elements and large-scale MMO environments, providing a sense of community that feels incredibly vibrant. The game recreates the harsh desert world of the planet Arrakis – the center of the Dune universe – where players must find ways to survive, compete for resources, and avoid dangerous sandworms and other lethal creatures.
Funcom emphasized, “We are incredibly thrilled with the overwhelmingly positive response from the community,” while also noting that the game currently holds an impressive 86% rating on Steam, with over 23,000 reviews – a testament to the game’s quality, despite some technical issues such as crashes in the Deep Desert area or connection interruptions due to ongoing updates.
Not only attracting player interest, Dune Awakening has also proven to be a strong commercial success. On the Steam revenue charts in the US, the game is currently leading, surpassing renowned titles like Counter-Strike 2 and Stellar Blade. Both the Ultimate and Deluxe editions of the game also consistently rank among the top 10. In the UK, all three versions of the game remain in the top 8, only falling short to the Steam Deck in revenue. With a strong start, Dune Awakening is firmly establishing itself in the world of Frank Herbert’s universe, potentially laying the groundwork for a sustainable and long-lasting survival game.
