Funcom has announced that Dune: Awakening has surpassed 1 million copies sold as part of an infographic that includes several statistics about how the game's launch has gone for players. The sales milestone also makes it Funcom's fastest-selling game to date.
According to the infographic, 816,720 players have been swallowed up by Shai-Hulud while surveying 25,529,505 square kilometers of Arrakis and consuming more than 6,110,692,000 grams of spice.
That's all well and good, but the Sleepers of Arrakis are likely happier to hear about the changes coming to the endgame, particularly those who would rather engage with the PvE gameplay in Dune: Awakening, and don't want to be bothered with PvP.
Joel Bylos, creative director of Dune: Awakening at Funcom, released a statement to players today, beginning by saying, "Our goal is not to force PvE players to interact with a PvP system that they may have no interest in."
The Deep Desert is evolving. PvE players will have more space to explore and progress without unwanted conflict. The Landsraad is getting more variety, better pacing, and stronger rewards.Check out the letter from our Creative Director to know more about our plans:bit.ly/Dune_Awakeni...
— Dune: Awakening (@duneawakening.com) 2025-06-23T14:54:25.908Z
"We still believe in the core concept of the Deep Desert - an endlessly renewing location that resets every week and creates an activity loop for great rewards. The tension of heading out there, head on a swivel, eyes peeled for foes as you enter the most dangerous part of the most dangerous planet in the universe."
"Our wish was that players would embrace this loop, forming guilds to work together to overcome the bleakness of the Deep Desert. But as Stephen King says, 'Wish in one hand, shit in the other, see which one fills up first.' One of my hands is overflowing right now and sadly not with wishes."
Bylos goes on to describe how there have been many players complaining that their time with Dune: Awakening is ending prematurely, "due to the extremely competitive nature of the Deep Desert." So, beginning "soon," there will be areas of the Deep Desert that are flagged as Partial Warfare (PvE), while the majority of the Deep Desert will still be flagged as War of Assassins (PvP).
The new PvE areas of the Deep Desert will allow those solo, PvE-focused players to harvest endgame and T6 resources "without the threat of conflict they may not want."
Bylos still stipulates though that those solo players will still find it to be a grind if they go that route, as the game is "balanced around guilds and groups." He also clarifies that the PvP areas of the Deep Desert will still be where the best resources can be found, and that they will remain "high reward, high risk areas."
Other changes are coming to PvP play, specifically around scout ornithopters. In the next batch of changes, scout ornithopters with rocket launchers attached will have their speed maneuverability reduced, and rockets fired from scout ornithopters will generate more heat.
Scout ornithopters without rocket launchers and equipped with thrusters will have a max speed boost regardless of wings to ensure they remain the fastest ornithopters available, and a T5 infantry rocket launcher will be added "to help improve the dynamics of vehicle/ground combat."
There are also more changes coming to the Landsraad, as Bylos says the team is "addressing some key flaws in the Landsraad design," such as how stockpiling items is currently rewarded, despite that not being the studio's intention with how it wants the Landsraad to function.
Bylos ends his statement asking players to be patient as Funcom works to improve Dune: Awakening and build it in collaboration with players based on their feedback.
"Once a live game launches, it becomes a collaborative effort between the developers and the players to make it something amazing. We appreciate your feedback on what we hope is the beginning of a long journey together. Bear with us - our intention is to be clear and open in our communications and make Dune: Awakening a game that everybody can enjoy."
The reaction from players to everything Bylos talked about in his statement has been unsurprisingly mixed. Some think he's taking the game in the entirely wrong direction, and rug-pulling Dune: Awakening into an entirely different game. Others are rejoicing for the changes, thankful that they'll be able to take part in more endgame activities.
Ultimately, Dune: Awakening hasn't even been out for a full month. It'll take time for it to evolve as the meta changes and new content is introduced. And based on the fact that it has had an undeniably strong launch, it seems like Funcom is going to have the chance to evolve it for years to come.
About the author: David has been writing about videogames, technology, and culture since 2020, with a focus on reporting daily news across multiple publications, including GameDaily.Biz, GameSkinny, and PlayStation Universe before joining Wccftech in 2025. David started contributing as Canada/US reporter for Wccftech's gaming section in 2025. Besides being up-to-date on the industry's movements, he loves interviewing developers, reviewing games, and writing intricate essays about the symbolism and layered meanings to be found in rich narratives as he's done for publications like GamesIndustry.Biz, LostInCult, and others. Outside of games he loves movies, music, theatre, his hometown, and his family, though not necessarily in that order.
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