GOG seeks Dune II return amid licensing complications
Rights involving EA, a 1984 film adaptation and an exclusive Funcom agreement complicate efforts to bring the strategy game to GOG.
GOG is trying to add Westwood Studios’ 1992 strategy game Dune II: The Building of a Dynasty to its store, but rights involving five parties stand in the way, according to Marcin Paczynski, the company’s senior business development and partnerships manager.
Speaking to GamesRadar+, Paczynski said Electronic Arts controls the game’s code, assets and related materials, but not the underlying Dune intellectual property. The game’s license came through Universal Pictures’ 1984 movie adaptation rather than directly through Frank Herbert’s novels.
Paczynski said the late producer Dino De Laurentiis also held a portion of the film license, adding another complication. Separately, Legendary Pictures holds rights to the newer movies and has an exclusive licensing arrangement with Funcom, the developer behind Dune: Awakening.
Paczynski said he was uncertain whether Funcom’s exclusivity also covers Westwood’s games, which include Dune 2000 and Emperor: Battle for Dune. He said GOG has ideas for pursuing a Dune II return, although its approach to obtaining the necessary rights remains under development.
