Dune: Awakening announced a free weekend open to everyone, along with exciting details about upcoming updates and a discount. The free play period comes a couple of months after the game’s initial release. It also marks the second free trial for the game.
Explore the World of Arrakis at No Cost
Back in late August, Dune: Awakening launched a free trial limited to 10 hours. This time around, Funcom is increasing the duration to four days, says the official announcement. Plus, players will get a chance to explore the deserts of Arrakis without any limits. Zero restrictions! It is the first free weekend for the game that has no content or time limitations. In particular, players can visit all zones, including Arrakeen City, Deep Desert, Hagga Basin, and Harko Village.
As part of the no-restriction free play period, each player can join friends who own the game. All they need to do is choose the same world or sietch.
Chapter 2 Update and DLC Arrive Early
PC Gamer reports that the update for Chapter 2 and the Lost Harvest DLC are dropping one day ahead of schedule. For context, the second chapter resumes the main story and introduces new content, such as missions and character customizations. Meanwhile, the fresh DLC will bring a standalone storyline, new gear, and a retro-futuristic vehicle.
First-Ever Discount on the Full Game
Besides the free weekend, there will be a sale on Dune: Awakening for the first time. Fans can buy the game at a 20% discount from September 11 to 22. Trial players also get to continue right where they left off, since all progress will be saved during the free weekend.
A Move to Renew Player Interest
According to a GameRant report, Dune: Awakening started strong after its release back in June. To be specific, it reached a peak player count of more than 189,000 players. However, the number of concurrent players has somewhat tumbled since then. In particular, player count has been heading below the 20,000 mark.
With the free weekend, earlier updates, and a discount, Funcom seems to be targeting old players to return to the game. In the same way, the move could also be a strategy to invite new players to try their product. Likewise, Dune: Awakening could be a step closer to joining the market’s list of top survival games with these changes.
The Dune: Awakening free play period runs from September 11 to 15. Everyone who plays during the given dates will receive the Arrakis Rising decoration.
