Continent of the Ninth Seal

VS

Dune: Awakening

Continent of the Ninth Seal (C9) is an action MMORPG released in 2012 by Webzen. While it initially attracted attention due to its dynamic combat and fantasy setting, its age (over a decade old) and the presence of richer alternatives in the MMO market have caused a significant decline in active player base. Webzen has maintained niche support, but current activity is limited to a small, dedicated community typical for legacy MMOs of this vintage.

As of late August 2025, Dune: Awakening had approximately 14,000 concurrent players, reflecting a significant decline from its peak of over 189,000 concurrent players shortly after launch in June 2025. This decrease is attributed to factors such as player burnout, game design issues, and technical problems. Despite these challenges, the developers remain optimistic, citing strong player retention and a 10-year development roadmap that includes plans to explore new planets and regions within the Dune universe. ([gamesradar.com](https://www.gamesradar.com/games/mmo/dune-awakening-dev-says-player-retention-has-been-extremely-good-and-the-mmos-10-year-plan-still-has-so-much-to-pull-from-in-the-lore-well-go-to-new-planets-eventually/?utm_source=openai))