Building an All-New Open-World Survival RPG World Based on a Legendary Franchise
Leveraging multiple Virtuos studios worldwide, we delivered art, engineering, and game development services critical to the game’s launch and beyond.
- Designed and delivered 13 unique dungeons called Imperial Testing Stations, as well as over 100 enemy bases, and mini camps
- Upgraded Funcom’s world-building capabilities by developing a modular prefabrication system that enabled efficient creation of enemy bases at scale
- Delivered high-quality, large-scale art production
- Optimized assets for smooth performance and visual fidelity
- Implemented advanced AI and combat systems
- Developed key gameplay features
- Created the game’s benchmark mode and integrated the character creator as a standalone pre-release demo
- Integrated the Razer Chroma SDK
What began as art production support in 2021 quickly evolved into a full co-development partnership as the teams at Virtuos and Funcom worked closer together. Virtuos studios co-developed key parts of the game, from comprehensive art production to full level creation, modular base systems, advanced engineering support, and seamless integration of key gameplay features. Our teams worked closely with Funcom to meet tight timelines with high-quality standards while maintaining creative autonomy.
To build a living, breathing world rich in content, Funcom needed to scale beyond their in-house resources. Virtuos collaborated closely with the Funcom team on the design and development of numerous enemy bases, including
- Creation of the 13 Imperial Testing Stations (unique and challenging narrative-driven dungeons)
- Over 100 enemy bases and mini-camps
- A modular enemy base prefabrication system enabling more efficient, scalable base-building for the Funcom team
Virtuos delivered high-quality character models, realistic environmental assets, dynamic vegetation, detailed materials, and impressive vehicles, all vital to bring the world of Arrakis to life. Our lighting and VFX teams layered atmospherics and effects to amplify immersion, matching Funcom’s vision and pushing the visual fidelity of the game world.
Virtuos provided robust engineering support for Dune: Awakening, implementing diverse AI behaviors using Unreal Engine 5’s Behavior Trees, EQS, and custom consideration systems. We enhanced combat systems with Gameplay Ability System integrations, enabling dynamic weapon firing patterns, squad-based cover combat, and unique NPC abilities such as melee-block and anti-gravity effects.
Our engineering team was part of developing key gameplay features including patrolling, cover mechanics, and interactive conversations, while supporting complex boss encounters and varied enemy spawning logic. Additionally, we created custom editor tools to aid level design in managing patrols and cover points, and delivered critical fixes to ensure stable gameplay, navigation, animation, and replication.
Ahead of launch, Virtuos and Funcom’s engineering teams jointly developed the standalone Benchmark Mode allowing players to test their hardware’s capability to run the game smoothly, enabling a smoother release. In parallel, we integrated the character creator into this demo together, giving players early customization tools and a taste of the immersive experience to come.
Virtuos also integrated the Razer Chroma SDK enabling in-game events to be synced with dynamic RGB lighting feedback on player hardware to enhance immersion.
Multiple Virtuos studios functioned as an integrated extension of Funcom’s team, providing seamless collaboration across art, design, and engineering disciplines. Cross-studio coordination, process transparency, and proactive communication ensured that we aligned closely with Funcom’s vision and contributed long-term value to the project.
Dune: Awakening launched to significant commercial success and positive critical acclaim:
- Over 1 million players in first two weeks
- Peak concurrent users of almost 190,000 on Steam
- Global top seller on Steam at launch
- Reached very positive player reviews (As high as an 85% Very Positive Steam rating)
- Holds a Metacritic score of 78/100 as of writing
“Virtuos were an invaluable partner during the development of Dune: Awakening. With full project access, Virtuos integrated directly into our pipeline, saving us time and overhead typically associated with outsourcing integration. Their flexibility, professionalism, and ability to scale made them a trusted extension of our team.”
Jeff Hatton
Art Production Director, Funcom
Virtuos’ collaboration with Funcom on Dune: Awakening exemplifies how external development partners can augment creative and technical capabilities at scale for major live service games. By providing end-to-end art creation, design and engineering, Virtuos helped Funcom launch a visually stunning and technically sound multiplayer experience set in the rich Dune universe.
