Dune Awakening devs clarify role of religion in upcoming MMO: ‘The player is not a messiah’

Fans of the Dune franchise should be familiar with the central themes of religion, prophecy, and heaven-sent saviors and their effects on native societies. But in the upcoming Dune MMO, Dune Awakening, players will have the opportunity to view the many religions of Arakkis through a fresh set of eyes.

Earlier today, the Dune Awakening developers, Funcom, released a statement on social media clarifying exactly how religion will be handled in the game, confirming that the player-character will not serve as any kind of messiah. 

“We agree that religion is an integral part of the Dune universe,” the devs said. “This is why in Dune: Awakening you will meet and interact with people of different religions along your journey. However, as opposed to the story presented in the books, the player is not a messiah and will not play a major role in any of them.”

While the devs clarified heavily that the player will not be the focal point of any religious conflict, creating any kind of story in the Dune universe without the presence of religion would fail to do the original foundations of the story justice. Being able to make your own interpretations of the religions of Arakkis—many of which have sensitive roots to actual faiths, most notably including Islam—as opposed to a forced narrative through the eyes of a conflicted Paul Atriedes will give players their own sense of clarity as they make their way through Dune Awakening. 

And while it’s almost a certainty that you’ll have interactions with religious peoples such as the Bene Gesserit and the Fremen, the devs have made it obvious that there’s no intention to hamfist your character into a prophecy or conflict that not even you, much like Paul, are sure of yourself. 

“Leading people on a holy war is not why you arrive on Arrakis,” Funcom said in its statement.  

Frankly, this is a solid approach to a sensitive subject and has the makings of a great way to handle what’s easily the most uncomfortable aspect of the original Dune story. The “holy war” that’s waged in the name of Paul Atriedes during the first two Dune novels is a tragic story that’s been told before and does not need to be told again through your computer monitor. Seeing the religions of Arakkis from a completely neutral standpoint should make for a fresh take on a universe that’s been explored from countless other angles already.