adaptation of Dune. Though work on Stars of Blood has been halted, the world of Dune lives on in Valve's archives and the imagination.
Discovered on a fan-run Valve asset repository, the concept art for Stars of Blood has numerous direct comparisons to images in Dune. Dune is known for some of the most incredible visual effects, and some of Stars of Blood's concept artwork can be directly compared to the same visuals. In one particular environment image, a tall city stands amongst flowing sand dunes, immediately conjuring comparisons to the desert planet Arrakis. Another image shows a futuristic castle next to a vast lake and a sprawling mountain range; possible inspiration for a campaign mission on Caladan.
Another feature that sets Dune apart is its cast of unique characters and civilizations. The character art featured in the Stars of Blood archive, again, share many direct parallels to the people of Dune. One image shows tubes running from a character's nose, not unlike the stillsuits of the Arrakan people. Another shows a pallid, bald character dressed in a black suit resembling the House of Harkonenn. Even the Bene Gesserit seem to appear in the concept art, in an image of a hooded woman dressed in black. These NPCs would have fit right in with a boss-level Baron Harkonnen wearing full armor.
What Stars Of Blood Concept Art Has In Common With The Dune Movie
Space travel is a key component in the world of Dune, making spaceship design crucial for Stars of Blood to fit the mold. Luckily, the Stars of Blood concept art shows a variety of unique ship designs that mark an inspired design team that may have been up to the task of Dune's massive space vehicles. Some ships in the archive are long and jagged, while others are sleek and rounded, touting the personality of their captain's houses (much like the ships of Dune). If Stars of Blood were ever made, it could have featured flyable vehicles for inter-planetary spice trade.
Not much is known about Stars of Blood's development history. In 2012 Gabe Newell, Valve's studio head at the time confirmed its existence (and cancellation) in an interview. Beyond that, Newell mentioned that it was a "space pirates game" but "that never saw the light of day." Those choice words from Newell, when paired with Villeneuve's Dune, make for an interesting video game concept. A Dune game is already in the works, with NUKKLEAR GmbH and Funcom working to make their survival game even bigger. With no official concept art yet released for that project, Stars of Blood's concept art remains the only glimpse into the potential for a Dune video game.
