Dune: Betrayal social deduction game on the way from Avalon and The Resistance creator

The creator of social deduction hits The Resistance and Avalon is working on a brand new Dune board game.

Dune: Betrayal is the latest board game to explore the universe of Frank Herbert’s monumental sci-fi series ahead of Denis Villeneuve’s upcoming movie adaptation, following last year’s deckbuilder Dune: Imperium, the 1979 board game classic re-released in 2019 and its upcoming spin-off Dune: A Game of Conquest and Diplomacy.

Gale Force Nine, the publisher behind the reboot of the original Dune board game and its simplified spin-off, announced that it had joined forces with designer Don Eskridge - known for The Resistance, its fantasy sequel Avalon and various other social deduction games - for Dune: Betrayal.

In Dune: Betrayal, players control characters from Dune, divided into House Atreides and House Harkonnen. Each identity card features a unique ability, as well as imagery from Villeneuve’s film - meaning you play as Oscar Isaac’s Duke Leto Atreides or Dave Bastista’s Beast Rabban.

The House Atreides players are trying to seek out the hidden Harkonnen secret agents among their ranks, needing to attack and eliminate their opponents before their own nobles are taken out by the traitors.

As well as their character’s special effect, players are able to use action cards and a variety of tools to view cards, defend against attacks and identify other players’ identities. The focus of the game is on forming alliances with players you trust, while remaining wary of those with an unclear affiliation.

Dune: Betrayal will be released this October for £20/$25, arriving around the movie’s release date on October 22nd.