Dune: Part Two, the sequel to Denis Villeneuve’s 2021 sci-fi epic, is nearly upon us. In the lead-up to the film’s highly anticipated release on March 1, Microsoft and Xbox Game Studios announced the arrival of Paul Atreides’ Ornithopter and the desert plains of Arrakis in Microsoft Flight Simulator in a free expansion.
The Ornithopter is to the universe of Dune what the X-Wing and TIE Fighter are to Star Wars: an iconic work of speculative engineering with a distinctive silhouette and dazzling mid-flight capabilities. According to a statement by Microsoft Flight Simulator head Jorg Neumann, players will be able to pilot the Royal Atreides Ornithopter through three tutorials (take-off, landing, and freefall) before participating in five time-trial activities and a rescue mission to save their flight instructor from an oncoming sandstorm.
It’s only the latest in a series of video game tie-ins in the weeks leading up to Dune: Part Two’s release. Back in December, Sledgehammer Games added Paul Atreides and Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.
