Funcom, the studio behind the hit survival MMO Dune: Awakening, has just announced it will layoff an undisclosed number of its staff in a statement sent to GamesIndustry.Biz, while also declaring Dune: Awakening to be "the biggest release we've had in our 32-year-long history of making great games."
Dune: Awakening launched to PC players this past June 10, 2025, and within its first month had surpassed 1 million copies sold, while also being one of the most-played games in June, and immediately shooting up to one of the highest-earning games by revenue for 2025.
It's clear, though, that a stunning launch, even the biggest and fastest-selling release in the studio's history, could not thwart layoffs. Or at least, it was clear to Funcom's bean counters and executives that it would have to reward the developers who worked hard to make Dune: Awakening the studio's biggest release ever with layoffs.
"The game has already shown incredible potential and the right way forward is to focus our internal resources on releasing new content, features, and enhancements," the statement read per GI.Biz.
"The transition from development to long-term live operation, while also building towards a major console release next year, will require us to restructure our teams and focus our resources from across projects and studios. Unfortunately, this means having to say goodbye to cherished colleagues. This difficult process is starting now, and we cannot yet determine the exact impact. We are working to find new opportunities for those affected."
"Our focus now is to provide these team members with the support and guidance they need, and we as for your understanding at this time as we will not make further comments during this process."
This news comes just off the back of Funcom releasing the first major DLC and content update for Dune: Awakening, which also included a free weekend for players who had yet to jump into Arrakis to check the game out themselves.
The console launch mentioned above is set to come about a year after the game's PC launch, according to what Funcom told Wccftech at Gamescom 2025.
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.
Follow Wccftech on Google to get more of our news coverage in your feeds.
