First a confession, I’ve not yet played Dune: Awakening. I’m not much of a gamer these days, and my current PC isn’t up to the task of running the game. Nevertheless, I’ve closely followed the progress of this game since it was announced over six years ago in February 2019. So I was excited when The Art and Making of Dune: Awakening was announced by Insight Editions, publisher of the excellent The Art and Soul of Dune books which document production of the Dune movies by Denis Villeneuve.
At 9.25″ x 12.75″ this is narrower and taller than the nearly square movie books, and foregoes a dust jacket for a striking golden cover with an embossed logo – which looks beautiful when the sun is low. The book is split into 11 main chapters, starting with “Legacy” which covers Legendary selecting Funcom, who proposed an open-world survival MMO (Massively Multiplayer Online) game, as opposed to other publishers who wanted to return to Dune‘s Real-time Strategy (RTS) game roots. “Genesis” explores the decision to set the game within an alternative timeline, one in which Paul Atreides was never born, and how that opens up the possibilities for players within the game.
The character creation process is detailed in “Rebirth”, and how this was designed to be an important introduction to the game by integrating it into the story rather than it being just something to do before playing the game. “The World of Arrakis” provides an overview of how the universe of Dune, both from the books and the movies, is represented in the game. The remaining chapters covers buildings, Spice, tools, transportation, Shai-Hulud, and the environment. Finally, “Arrakis Ascendant” looks to the future possibilities for this game.
Each chapter discusses how various Dune aspects were incorporated into the game, taking inspiration from both Frank Herbert’s novels and Denis Villeneuve’s movies, having been provided access to assets from the films. The text is very clear, in a large dark type on a white background, never placed on top of images (which can make the text hard to read in other making-of books). Additional challenges were how to introduce the elements into the game in a way that served the story, and guide the player through different areas of the game as their abilities increased. Some of the details necessitate revelations regarding the story within Dune: Awakening, which may be considered spoilers if, like me, you are reading the book before playing the game.
As a player you always have the ability to traverse to get to a much more difficult and complicated endgame space on the map, but you’re kind of gated by the type of equipment you have. That provides a more organic gaming experience with limitations based on your current resources and abilities. Figuring out how it’s going to work mechanically in the game while staying true to the lore, that was very important. If two players are on sandbikes and they know that the sandworm is going to surface and the players go off in different directions how is that going to work as far as the gameplay is concerned? It was interesting to work through those things as we built up to higher-level items.
Sam Rappaport – VP of Interactive Media at Legendary Entertainment
There are hundreds of pieces of artwork included in the book, some are familiar images previously released on the Dune: Awakening news site, but most I’d not seen before. The printing and glossy paper matches the excellent quality used in the behind-the-scenes books covering the Dune movies, so the art is clear and crisp. Each image has a caption nearby, which prevents flipping back and forth to read the text. In what sadly appears to be common in such books, the individual artists are not credited, and there isn’t even a list of them at the end of the book. A search over on ArtStation for “Dune Awakening” reveals the portfolios of many people who worked on the game, which helps if you are trying to identify an artist, or just looking for more concept art.
While the art is well represented, I was hoping for more information for the “making” aspect. There is only a passing mention to the tools used, and I would have liked to have learned more about technological challenges and solutions to including Dune features such as shields, ‘thopters, and sandworms in a real-time game engine, although I admit that is perhaps something that wouldn’t appeal to most readers. Also missing is any mention of the making of the sound and music used to bring Arrakis to life. I would recommend listening to the Dune: Awakening game soundtrack while reading this book though!
Summary
The Art and Making of Dune: Awakening is a lovely physical companion book to a digital only game. While it would be a welcome addition to the bookshelf of any Dune fan, it suffers slightly from being released in close proximity to Dune Part Two: The Photography which I feel appeals to a wider audience.
The book releases on October 21, 2025 through Insight Editions in the U.S., and from Titan Books in the U.K.
About the Author
Andrew Farago is the curator of San Francisco’s Cartoon Art Museum and the author of Batman: The Definitive History of the Dark Knight in Comics, Film, and Beyond, DC: Collecting the Multiverse: The Art of Sideshow, and the Harvey Award–winning Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Ultimate Visual History. In 2015, he received the prestigious Inkpot Award from Comic-Con International.
About Titan Books
Titan Books is a division of Titan Publishing Group and a leading world publisher of media entertainment fiction, non-fiction, and lifestyle publishing, as well as a New York Times and Sunday Times bestselling publisher of original genre fiction. Titan Books’ acclaimed entertainment and culture non-fiction publishing includes a wide range of some of today’s most exciting franchises and studios, including Netflix, Alcon Entertainment, Marvel, Star Trek, Alien, and many more. The diverse publishing programme includes critically acclaimed retrospectives of beloved film and television classics, exciting Making of companions to blockbuster media and gaming properties, and a wide range of in-universe guides and cookbooks to allow fans to fully immerse themselves in their favourite worlds. The division’s original and licensed fiction includes some of today’s biggest names in genre and includes numerous bestsellers and award-winning titles. Learn more at titanbooks.com
Note: Many thanks to Titan Books for providing the Dune News Net team with a review copy of this book.
About Insight Editions
Insight Editions pushes the boundaries of creativity, design, and production with award-winning books and collectibles. From collaborations with innovators like James Cameron and Guillermo del Toro to partnerships with global brands including Warner Bros. and Disney, Insight Editions creates stories and experiences for fans, readers, and seekers of all ages that transcend the page. The dynamic catalog ranges from pop culture to photography to cooking to nature conservation. Learn more at insighteditions.com.
About Legendary Entertainment
Legendary Entertainment is a leading media company with film (Legendary Pictures), television and digital (Legendary Television and Digital Media) and comics (Legendary Comics) divisions dedicated to owning, producing and delivering content to worldwide audiences. Legendary has built a library of marquee media properties and has established itself as a trusted brand which consistently delivers high-quality, commercial entertainment including some of the world’s most popular intellectual property. In aggregate, Legendary Pictures-associated productions have realized grosses of more than $20 billion worldwide at the box office. To learn more visit: www.legendary.com
About Funcom
Funcom is a developer and publisher of online games for PC and consoles. Funcom has provided outstanding entertainment since 1993 and continues to expand its track record of more than twenty released games. Titles include Conan Exiles, Metal: Hellsinger, Aloft, Dune: Spice Wars, Secret World Legends, Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures, The Longest Journey, Anarchy Online, and Dreamfall: The Longest Journey. For corporate information, please visit www.funcom.com.