PSBlog Feed: What Dune: Awakening brings to PlayStation 5 Sept 22

[Commander Fury]

On September 22, Dune: Awakening is coming to PlayStation 5.

Dune: Awakening is an open world survival game set on the most legendary planet in the universe: Arrakis. Rise from survival to greatness, as you explore, build, craft, and unravel a cinematic Dune story that asks the mind-bending question: what if Paul Atreides was never born?

Dune: Awakening has been available on PC since last year, and during that time we’ve added a ton of content and enhanced core gameplay systems. The game is better than ever, and with its debut on PlayStation 5, we’re adding even more including a full single-player mode.

PlayStation gamers will be treated to the best version of Dune: Awakening yet. All the enhancements and additions that we’ve been working on for the past year will be on PlayStation day one.

We’ve put together a Developer Deep Dive video exploring what’s coming in the PlayStation 5 version of the game. Check it out:

Play Video

Optimized for PlayStation 5

The team has spent a lot of time and effort making sure the experience on PlayStation 5 is the best it can be. UI and controls have been tailored to the console experience, and we’ve put a lot of focus on making sure the game is highly optimized for both PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 5 Pro.

On the base PlayStation 5, Performance Mode will run at 60fps with frame-gen. On PlayStation 5 Pro, Performance Mode runs at 60fps without frame-gen. Quality Mode will run at 30fps on both systems. The game runs in upscaled 4K on both PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 5 Pro, in both Performance and Quality Mode. We’ll provide more specific technical details as we get closer to launch, including an overview of native resolutions.

Survival games generally have a reputation for being complex and challenging to learn. With Dune: Awakening, our design philosophy from day one has been to make it a more accessible survival experience.

Not less challenging, but less challenging to learn. We’ve implemented systems that teach you the game and ease you into its core elements, and there is also a strong narrative thread that guides you through the journey from survivalist to hero instead of just dropping you in the middle of a literal sandbox.

To put it like this: if you’re skeptical about survival games, Dune: Awakening is a great portal for you into the genre!

Single-player mode: a game changer

The biggest new addition PlayStation 5 gamers can look forward to is the single-player mode. Right now, on PC, the game is exclusively multiplayer and single-player mode is by far one of the top-requested features.

Making an inherently multiplayer game work in full single-player has not been an easy task. The team has spent months making sure the experience translates well. It’s not just removing multiplayer functionality; every aspect of the game needs to make sense in a single-player format.

For example, in multiplayer, the endgame in Dune: Awakening is built around players competing over specific objectives to make sure their faction – House Atreides or House Harkonnen – gains control over the Landsraad. Controlling the Landsraad gives them the ability to make decisions that can impact gameplay for everyone across the server. In single-player, instead of removing or downscaling this part of the game, we’re instead simulating other players competing for these objectives, making sure it’s still a compelling and engrossing part of the experience.

We’re also introducing a wide range of gameplay customization options, allowing you to scale the difficulty to your liking. Want to harvest resources faster or even disable the sandworm? That’s your choice. You can also customize all these options if you choose to rent a private server for you and your friends.

The new single-player mode allows you to play the game the way you want to, at your own pace.

Available in digital and physical format

We’re also excited to share that we’ll be releasing a physical edition of Dune: Awakening. We’re teaming up with Bandai Namco Entertainment Europe who will put the game on shelves in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand, and with Solutions 2 GO for North and South America. It will also be released in retail in Japan, with a publisher to be announced later.

In Japan, the game is expected to release in October, with pre-orders commencing soon.

With the third installment in Denis Villeneuve’s and Legendary Entertainment’s epic Dune franchise coming to theatres in December, the physical edition can be a great holiday gift for Dune fans around the globe.

Can you survive on Arrakis?

Arrakis is a test that few will survive, and Dune: Awakening represents the ultimate survival fantasy. On September 22 it’s time to prove whether you can survive the most dangerous planet in the universe.

Dune: Awakening can be wishlisted and pre-ordered today.

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