Funcom restructures around Dune: Awakening and Conan Exiles

Funcom is reducing staff as it shifts to two live games

Funcom has started a restructuring process after deciding to focus solely on live operations for Dune: Awakening and Conan Exiles, according to reporting published on October 17, 2026. The company has not disclosed how many employees are affected, and it says the process is already underway.

The change follows Dune: Awakening moving from full production into long-term post-launch development and operations. Funcom said the survival game was its largest project, requiring several years of major development resources across its studios. The company now plans to reduce the organization that supported the game during peak production.

Rui Casais will leave Funcom at the end of 2026

CEO Rui Casais is scheduled to depart at the end of 2026, after 22 years at Funcom and 11 years as its chief executive. Casais also led the company through its acquisition by Tencent in 2020, and Funcom remains owned by the Chinese technology group.

Casais said the new phase requires a different structure and acknowledged that not everyone who worked on Dune: Awakening can remain with the company. Funcom has not provided further details about individual roles or the final scale of the cuts, citing respect for the employees involved while the restructuring continues.

Scott Junior is set to become the next CEO

Scott Junior, Funcom's chief product officer, will succeed Casais once the transition is complete. Junior has worked at Funcom for 25 years and recently served as executive producer on Dune: Awakening, giving the incoming CEO direct experience with the project now shaping the company's organization.

Funcom said the restructuring is intended to guarantee continued focus on Dune: Awakening and Conan Exiles. Its statement also commits the company to supporting, expanding and growing both games and their communities for years to come. Conan Exiles recently received an Enhanced edition, which Funcom says it will continue to expand.

What this means for players choosing a Funcom game

Funcom's stated direction concentrates its resources on two existing live games rather than keeping the larger development structure used for Dune: Awakening's production. For players deciding where to spend time tonight, that makes Conan Exiles and Dune: Awakening the clearest indicators of where the company's announced support focus now sits, although the number of departing staff remains unknown.