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 in early access – but there’s also a Dune MMO game coming, and one artist working on the project has posted his own take on Dune’s infamous Harkonnens.
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, Rui Pereira, a 3D character artist at Funcom currently working on both Conan Exiles and the new Dune game, has revealed a detailed 3D model for a character called ‘Captain Iakin Nefud Harkonnen.’ While he does make it clear that this is “fan art”, it at least gives fans a possible idea as to where the Dune MMO is going in terms of character designs. He also had help from 3D hair artist Andre Pires – who confirms he previously worked on Dune.
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’.”
Pereira confirmed to PCGamesN that this character “was me just creating art and having fun because I like the subject” rather than anything officially related to the Dune game. 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 fan art is the only Dune-related thing to come out of the team since the game’s announcement – even if it’s not directly part of the project. Hopefully, we’ll get a proper look at the Dune MMO sooner rather than later, but for now – enjoy the excellent “fan” art.
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.