Dune: Awakening studio faces layoffs as it restructures following console release

Funcom is restructuring and expects to reduce its workforce after completing major development on Dune: Awakening. The Norwegian studio says the shift to running and expanding the live game requires a different organisation, and it cannot sustain the larger team assembled during peak production.

The restructuring begins now, though Funcom has not said how many jobs will go. The game’s console versions, including a new single-player mode, launched on 22 September; it first arrived on PC last June. Long-time chief executive Rui Casais is leaving after 22 years at the company, and Scott Junior, a 25-year Funcom veteran and executive producer of Dune: Awakening, will take over. Funcom says it remains committed to supporting Dune: Awakening and Conan Exiles, and recently reported one million “new survivors” for Dune, a figure that may include Game Pass players.