GOG wants to bring Westwood Studios’ classic real-time strategy game Dune II back to modern PC storefronts, but complicated licensing arrangements involving five different rights holders have prevented a re-release. Marcin Paczynski, GOG’s senior business development and partnerships manager, has explained why restoring the influential 1992 game to commercial distribution remains particularly difficult.
Speaking in an interview with GamesRadar+, Paczynski identified Dune II: The Building of a Dynasty, also known as Dune II: Battle for Arrakis, as one of his most sought-after preservation projects.
“This is one of the holy grails,” Paczynski said, describing the game as a personal priority because of his nostalgia for the original release.
Dune II helped establish the design conventions of modern real-time strategy games, influencing franchises including Warcraft and Command & Conquer. Despite its historical significance, the original game remains unavailable for purchase through major digital PC storefronts.
The main obstacle involves ownership of the game’s technology, assets, and underlying intellectual property.
According to Paczynski, Electronic Arts owns the original game’s code, assets, and associated materials following its acquisition of developer Westwood Studios. However, EA does not control the broader Dune intellectual property, meaning ownership of the game itself is insufficient to authorize a new commercial release.
The licensing situation becomes more complicated because Westwood’s Dune games were based on David Lynch’s 1984 film adaptation rather than directly on Frank Herbert’s novels.
Paczynski explained that Universal Pictures and producer Dino De Laurentiis held rights associated with the original film. Following De Laurentiis’ death, a successor inherited a portion of those rights.
Meanwhile, the Herbert Foundation controls rights associated with the broader Dune intellectual property, while Legendary Pictures holds rights connected to the newer film adaptations.
This leaves five parties potentially relevant to a new licensing agreement: Electronic Arts, Universal Pictures, the successor to De Laurentiis’ film rights, the Herbert Foundation, and Legendary Pictures.
Another complication involves Funcom’s Dune: Awakening, the modern multiplayer survival game based on the franchise.
Paczynski said Legendary granted Funcom a license to develop games within the Dune universe that includes an exclusivity arrangement. However, the precise implications of that agreement for older Westwood titles remain unclear.
That uncertainty potentially affects not only Dune II but also Dune 2000 and Emperor: Battle for Dune, two other strategy games developed under the franchise.
Beyond identifying the relevant rights holders, GOG must also consider whether the potential revenue from a re-release would justify the legal and commercial effort.
Paczynski suggested that an older game such as Dune II might sell approximately 50,000 to 100,000 copies at prices of $5.99 or $9.99. These were illustrative estimates rather than official sales projections.
Negotiating agreements involving several major entertainment companies could therefore prove commercially challenging relative to the potential earnings from the game.
The situation contrasts with other classic PC titles that have successfully returned to modern storefronts. Games such as Ecstatica and Ecstatica II have returned to Steam and GOG with upgrades designed to improve compatibility with contemporary hardware.
GOG continues to pursue classic game preservation through DRM-free releases, downloadable offline installers, and compatibility improvements. However, obtaining distribution rights remains a separate requirement, regardless of whether the original game files and technology are available.
Paczynski’s comments provide an explanation for Dune II’s continued absence from commercial storefronts, but they do not establish that a re-release is permanently impossible.
GOG has not announced a licensing agreement, release date, or confirmed restoration project for Dune II. For now, its return to digital PC distribution remains uncertain.
