Marcin Paczynski, senior business development and partnerships manager at GOG, has detailed the convoluted licensing situation surrounding Westwood Studios' 1992 real-time strategy classic, Dune 2: The Building of a Dynasty. The game, which established the blueprint for the RTS genre and influenced studios like Blizzard, is currently trapped in what Paczynski describes as "licensing hell."
According to Paczynski, Electronic Arts holds the game code and assets for Dune 2. However, EA does not own the Dune intellectual property (IP). The IP's ownership is further complicated because the game was not based directly on Frank Herbert's novels but on the 1984 film produced by Dino De Laurentiis. Consequently, De Laurentiis' estate retains a portion of the film license, and thus a stake in Dune 2. The situation is further complicated by Legendary Pictures, which currently owns the IP rights for the new Dune films and has an exclusivity deal with Funcom for its upcoming survival game, Dune Awakening. The exact impact of this deal on potential re-releases of older Dune games remains unclear.
Paczynski considers Dune 2 a "holy grail" for GOG's preservation program due to its historical significance and his personal nostalgia for the title. He noted that the game's licensing predicament serves as a stark example of how challenging it can be to bring classic games back to modern platforms. This complexity often leaves fan projects as the primary, and sometimes only, way to experience these older titles.
Dune 2's influence on the RTS genre is undeniable, paving the way for games like Warcraft and, by extension, the MOBA genre. Its status as a pivotal piece of PC gaming history makes the difficulty in securing its official re-release a frustrating prospect for enthusiasts and preservationists alike.