Dune: Awakening Beta Weekend Hits PAX East—But Pre-Orders Got Burned First
If you caught our article last week, you already know that Dune: Awakening kicked off its Beta Weekend at PAX East, running now through May 12. It’s the first real hands-on event for Funcom’s survival MMO—and anticipation has been high. But when the beta actually went live? Let’s just say some early supporters weren’t feeling the love.
Here’s the issue: pre-order players didn’t get immediate access to the beta.
Yes, you read that right. Despite dropping money early on Dune: Awakening, a large number of pre-order customers had to wait—or worse, rely on random giveaways and key lotteries to access the very beta they thought they were paying for.
A Beta for Everyone… Eventually
To be fair, Funcom did fix it—eventually. A few hours after the beta launched, the team posted on social media saying:
“We heard your feedback… if you already own or decide to pre-order any of the editions this weekend, you should now also see a Beta Weekend product in your Steam Library.”
It was a good move—but the damage had already been done. The fact that players who pre-ordered weren’t automatically included felt like a major oversight, especially in an era where early beta access is often the default pre-order bonus.
The Real Problem? Wasted Keys
To make things more awkward, some pre-order fans already secured beta keys through community giveaways or third-party promotions—burning through keys that could’ve gone to players who hadn’t pre-ordered yet.
So while it’s not a full-on disaster, the rollout definitely felt sloppy. This isn’t Funcom’s first rodeo (they even said as much on social), but it sure looked like someone forgot to double-check the rider list before the horse left the gate.
Dune: Awakening Devs Do Better
Yes, they course-corrected. But let’s be honest—pre-order customers getting snubbed out of beta access is not a good look, especially when there’s no shortage of survival MMOs trying to build loyalty. If Funcom wants to keep player trust before Dune: Awakening launches, the communication (and logistics) are going to have to tighten up—fast.
