In the amazing new Denis Villeneuve film Dune the moment the spice-harvesters appeared on screen my mind briefly wandered back to Westwood Studio's Dune II from 1993, the first real-time strategy game. Today as part of The Game Awards we got our first glimpse of Dune: Spice Wars a new 4X RTS based on the sci-fi classic.

And it's set to make its Early Access debut next year.

Publisher Funcom and developer Shiro Games today proudly announce Dune: Spice Wars, a real-time strategy game with 4X elements based on Frank Herbert’s groundbreaking novel Dune. The game will be released into early access on PC next year.

Dune: Spice Wars will have several playable factions, each with their own strengths and weaknesses, as well as multiple ways to achieve your ultimate goal – control of the spice on Arrakis. You can deploy agents to sabotage, assassinate and spy on your opponents, use political means to influence the Landsraad and pass beneficial resolutions, amass incredible wealth and simply overwhelm the other houses through economic and technological supremacy, or you can opt for open war.

“I think I speak for every single person at Shiro Games, when I say that we are all massive fans of Dune – both of the original novel and the new and spectacular Denis Villeneuve film," says Shiro Games’ CEO Sebastien Vidal. "To be able to bring this universe to life as a strategy game again is incredible. The Dune universe is the perfect setting for a strategy game. You have major factions, such as House Atreides and House Harkonnen, with a rivalry that spans back centuries. You have political intrigue, deception, and warfare, all centered around what is by far the most valuable substance in the universe: Spice. And then there is the stage itself, Arrakis, a hostile planet full of hidden wonders to explore. Massive sandworms that can devour entire armies, sandstorms, spice harvesters, all of which our amazing team of developers have incorporated into this game.”

It definitely sounds very cool. And as per the following screenshots, it's shaping up nicely too.