Funcom admitted that the survival MMO, released almost four months ago, was the biggest launch in the company’s 32-year history.

The studio behind Dune: Awakening announced in a statement to Gamesindustry that it would lay off an unknown number of employees, while also stating that Dune: Awakening was the biggest release in its 32-year history of developing great games. Dune: Awakening was released on June 10 for PC and sold over one million copies in its first month. It became one of the most popular games of June and immediately rose to become one of the highest-grossing games of 2025.

However, even this impressive start — the biggest and fastest-selling release in the studio’s history — could not prevent staff cuts. At least, this was clear to Funcom’s accountants and executives, who apparently decided that the developers who made Dune: Awakening the studio’s biggest launch should be rewarded 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 transition from development to long-term live operation, while also building toward a major console release next year, requires us to restructure our teams and consolidate our resources 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. We ask for your understanding during this process and will not make further comments,” wrote Funcom.

This news came directly after Funcom released the first major DLC and content update for Dune: Awakening, which included a free weekend for players who had not yet stepped into Arrakis to try the game for themselves. Funcom told WCCFTech at Gamescom that the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series versions will arrive about a year after the PC release.

Source: WCCFTech, Gamesindustry