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GOG attempts to resurrect Dune II after 34 years, blocked by five-way licensing split

Simon Ellis 9 comments 2 min read

GOG is trying to bring Dune II back to PC after 34 years, but a five- way licensing split involving EA, Universal, and Legendary Pictures has stalled the release.

GOG Dune II: The Building of a Dynasty
GAMES

GOG is trying to get Dune II: The Building of a Dynasty back to PC shops after 34 years of being MIA. This is significant for retro gamers who have seen this gem disappear from digital storefronts because of various legal hurdles. GOG sees Dune II as a holy grail of PC gaming that they want to make available again.

GOG faces complex legal hurdles to bring the 1992 RTS classic back to PC

Dune II: The Building of a Dynasty from 1992 is a classic RTS game that has a unique 5-way licensing situation. Right now, EA owns the rights to the original game code, assets, and source material. GOG still doesn't have a concrete plan on how to get the permissions needed to release the game.

Dune II has a very interesting creation backstory that makes the licensing situation so complex. Dune II is based on the 1984 Universal Pictures movie adaptation, not the original books from Frank Herbert. That's why the legal situation for the game itself isn't tied into the other Dune IP owned by other parties.

Legendary Pictures owns the rights for newer movie adaptations and has an exclusive agreement with Funcom for their upcoming game, Dune: Awakening. It's unclear if the exclusivity covers Westwood's old RTS games, according to GOG's executive, Marcin Paczynski. They're figuring out ways to work through all these parties to see if they can get the game released.

Source: NotebookCheck

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Discussion

9 comments

  1. Ferrite

    EA holds the code but Universal holds the movie rights. This mess will likely kill the release.

  2. Kestrel

    I remember spending countless hours on the Spice Melange mechanic. It would be a shame to lose this forever.

  3. Tamsin

    Does the Universal rights issue extend to the Fremen units or just the movie footage references?

    1. IroncladOwl

      It is likely all assets tied to the 1984 film look. GOG needs clearance for every visual element.

  4. janky42

    funcom has a deal for dune awakening but iirc that is for the new ip not the old westwood stuff 🤔

  5. Morrow

    Legal teams are notoriously slow. Expecting a clean release this year is optimistic at best.

  6. sparrow19

    Will they have to edit out the movie clips or just pay a licensing fee to Universal?

    1. coldboot

      Usually a fee is cheaper than a full port rewrite. They might just patch the assets in.

  7. Nadir

    tbh if it costs more than $20 it is not worth the wait. nostalgia has a price limit.

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