Synced

VS

Dune: Awakening

Synced is a futuristic third-person shooter with PvE and PvP elements, released in late 2023 by NExT Studios and published by Level Infinite. Despite a notable launch and strong publisher backing, its genre and recent player trend reports indicate significant drop-off post-launch. As a session-based action shooter—not a persistent world MMO—even with co-op and squad features, it lacks the scale and persistence to be considered a true MMO.

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))