Dune 2 Re-Release Faces Messy Rights Issues

Westwood Studios’ Dune 2: The Building of a Dynasty is an early real-time strategy game that helped shape the genre. It inspired later RTS games and had a big effect on PC gaming history.

But an official re-release looks difficult. In an interview, GOG’s Marcin Paczynski explained that the rights to the game are split across several parties, which makes preservation work complicated.

Electronic Arts owns the game code, assets, and related materials. But the Dune IP itself is tied up with other rights holders because the game was based on the 1984 movie, not directly on Frank Herbert’s books. That movie involved Universal Pictures and producer Dino De Laurentiis, whose estate still holds part of the license.

There is also a newer wrinkle. Legendary Pictures controls the rights to the current Dune films and has a deal with Funcom for Dune Awakening, which may include exclusivity. Paczynski said it is not clear how that would affect older Dune games, including Dune 2000.