Funcom announced on October 14, 2026 that it will reduce the size of its organization and part with staff, as it focuses on the long-term operation of Dune: Awakening and Conan Exiles. CEO Rui Casais steps down at the end of 2026, and Chief Product Officer Scott Junior becomes CEO.
Funcom hasn't said how many jobs will be cut. "The process begins now, and out of respect for the employees involved, Funcom will not share further details until it has concluded," the studio said.
From production to live operations
"Dune: Awakening has been the biggest project we have ever undertaken," Casais said. "Moving from full production into long-term post-launch development and operations requires a different organization." He added: "While we would have wanted everyone who helped build Dune: Awakening to continue with us, we cannot sustain the size and structure required during peak development as we move into this next phase."
Dune: Awakening launched on PC in June 2025 and on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S on September 22, 2026.
The new CEO
Scott Junior has been at Funcom for 25 years. He was executive producer on Dune: Awakening and led post-launch development and live operations on Conan Exiles, The Secret World and Age of Conan.
Casais joined Funcom in 2004 as a junior AI programmer on Age of Conan, became CTO in 2008 and CEO in 2015.
A second restructuring in a year
In October 2025, Funcom announced a restructuring "across projects and studios" as Dune: Awakening moved toward live operations and its console release. It led to the closure of The Outsiders, the Metal: Hellsinger studio Funcom acquired in 2021.
