Dune: Awakening Won’t Have You Play as a Messiah

comingsoon.net:

While fans can now watch Dune: Part 2, they will have an opportunity to explore Arrakis in the upcoming. However, players shouldn’t expect to emulate Paul Atreides too closely, as Funcom says no one gets to play as a messiah.  

“We agree that religion is an integral part of the Dune universe,” reads a post on Dune: Awakening’s Twitter account. “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. Leading people on a holy war is not why you arrive on Arrakis.”

We agree that religion is an integral part of the Dune universe. 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… pic.twitter.com/6QHxnuh2sV

Fans were mostly understanding and glad that the company is open about its intention with the upcoming Dune MMO. However, a presumably joking Twitter user suggested that the game could bestow messianic powers on a random player every other week.

“Didn’t the books warn us about that,” the developer replied.

Didn't the books warn us about that.

Religion is central to the themes of the Dune films and novels. Zen Buddhism was a significant influence on author Frank Hurbert, and he incorporated various concepts from Christianity, Islam, Judaism, and Hinduism. However, the books also explore the role of religion as a tool of political power and social control and warn against putting absolute faith in a single messianic hero.

It’s questionable to what degree a survival MMO like Dune: Awakening can grapple with those ideas effectively. Religion is also something of a perpetually touchy subject. Given these factors, it’s understandable if Funcom might prefer to keep the holy prophecies away from its player characters.