Despite GOG's best efforts this classic Dune RTS is trapped in 5-way licensing hell

gamesradar.com Nov 1, 2026

Despite GOG’s best efforts this classic Dune RTS is trapped in 5-way licensing hell

Curated by Shubham · TechCapsules · Nov 1, 2026

AI-summarised brief · reviewed before publication

Westwood Studios’ 1992 title Dune 2: The Building of a Dynasty, widely credited as the blueprint for modern real‑time strategy games, remains unavailable on contemporary platforms due to a tangled web of licensing rights. GOG’s senior business‑development manager Marcin Paczynski explains that while Electronic Arts now holds the game’s code and assets, the underlying intellectual property is split among several parties: Universal Pictures (the 1984 film producer), the estate of Dino De Laurentiis who originally licensed the movie, the Herbert Foundation that controls the Dune brand, and Legendary Pictures, which granted exclusive game‑development rights to Funcom for the new Dune franchise. The overlapping claims create a “five‑way licensing hell,” leaving even a modest re‑release financially and legally uncertain.

💡 Why It Matters

· The case illustrates how fragmented ownership can stall preservation of culturally pivotal games, regardless of market demand.

Capsules Gaming

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