Just ahead of Dune: Awakening’s console release on September 22, British military survival advisor John Hudson examines the deadly realities behind Arrakis in a new video
What would it really take to survive on Arrakis?
In a new featurette, John Hudson, the UK Military’s Chief Survival Instructor & Consultant, takes viewers into the deadly realities of Dune: Awakening’s desert world, exploring everything from hydration, shelter, and protection from sandstorms to resource management and the importance of surviving as a group.
Drawing on his experience designing and conducting survival training in extreme environments, including deserts, Hudson highlights the realism of Dune: Awakening’s weather-sculpted rock formations and unforgiving landscapes.
“The rocky outcrops that the team of Dune: Awakening have built are incredibly realistic,” says Hudson. “They look like they have been sandblasted by desert storms. They look sculpted by the wind. Yet within them you can see some hope of refuge.”
Survival Lessons from an Unforgiving Desert
Hudson examines how the hostile environment of Dune: Awakening mirrors real-world principles of desert survival.
Players must protect themselves from extreme heat and prolonged sun exposure, conserve precious water, seek shelter when sandstorms strike, and rely on group coordination to transport and manage the resources necessary to survive.
These challenges make preparation an essential part of the experience. On Arrakis, understanding the environment and knowing how to respond to its dangers can be just as important as the resources a player carries.
Arrakis Is More Than Just a Setting
The featurette also explores why Arrakis serves as more than a backdrop for Dune: Awakening. The planet itself becomes an active survival challenge, forcing players to prepare for every journey, establish shelter, manage scarce resources, build alliances, and contend with the immense sandworms that roam the desert.
Every expedition carries risks, making cooperation and resource management critical to surviving the harsh world of Arrakis.
Dune: Awakening, Funcom’s open-world survival game inspired by Frank Herbert’s seminal sci-fi novel and Legendary Entertainment’s award-winning films, launches on consoles on September 22, 2026.
Players who own the Deluxe and Ultimate editions will be able to get a head start beginning September 17.
Console players, together with new and returning PC players, will have access to all the additions and improvements introduced since the game’s PC launch, along with new content and updates arriving in September.
