FreeSO

VS

Dune: Awakening

FreeSO is a fan-made, open-source recreation of The Sims Online (an MMO from the early 2000s). Being a niche project mainly for nostalgia or Sims fans, and with minimal marketing or support since 2017, the community is small and activity is usually limited to a few hundred dedicated players daily. Its MMO status is justified by persistent worlds and large shared spaces, but its audience is limited by age and unofficial nature.

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))