Dune: Awakening Disables Steam Family Sharing Due to Abuse
▼ Summary
– Dune: Awakening’s Steam reviews have dropped to “Mixed” due to ongoing issues with cheating and griefing, despite recent patches.
– Funcom has temporarily disabled Steam Family Sharing for the game to combat cheating, citing frequent abuse of the feature.
– The disabling of Family Sharing may last for months or even until 2026, impacting legitimate players who relied on shared access.
– Funcom is actively working on fixes to re-enable Family Sharing, aiming for implementation by the end of the year.
– The publisher has banned hundreds of players and removed exploited in-game currency as part of ongoing anti-cheat efforts.
The survival MMO Dune: Awakening has disabled Steam Family Sharing following widespread abuse of the feature by cheaters and exploiters. The decision comes as the game struggles with ongoing issues related to hacking and unfair gameplay, despite recent patches aimed at stabilizing the experience.
Funcom, the game’s publisher, announced the temporary suspension of Family Sharing via Steam and Discord, citing frequent misuse. “We have unfortunately seen this feature abused frequently,” the studio stated, acknowledging the inconvenience for legitimate players who relied on shared access. While no exact timeline was provided, the feature may remain disabled for months, possibly until 2026, as developers work on a permanent solution.
Community speculation suggests cheaters exploited Family Sharing to create alternate accounts, bypassing faction restrictions to manipulate in-game economies or hoard high-value loot. Some players reportedly used shared accounts to control multiple fiefs or vehicles, gaining an unfair advantage. Funcom emphasized that bans have already been issued, with hundreds of accounts penalized and illicitly obtained currency removed from the game.
The move highlights a recurring problem in online gaming: legitimate players often bear the brunt of anti-cheat measures. While developers continue cracking down on exploits, the sudden loss of Family Sharing has frustrated many who relied on it for cooperative play. Funcom apologized to affected users, promising to restore the feature once safeguards are in place, though no firm deadline has been set.
In the meantime, the studio remains focused on combating cheating, with ongoing investigations and further bans expected. For now, players will have to adapt to the stricter access controls, hoping for a balanced solution that doesn’t punish fair participation.
(Source: PC Gamer)
