Bungie's Marathon Teases New Reveal

Remember Marathon? It's the next big project from Destiny developer Bungie, and it looks like we're finally getting a closer look at what's in store.

Marathon is set to be a PvP-focused extraction shooter, taking place on the enigmatic planet of Tau Ceti IV. Players will take on the roles of Runners, cybernetic mercenaries engineered to withstand the planet's harsh conditions, as they explore a lost colony on Tau Ceti's surface.

It's been a while since we last heard about Marathon. In October, Bungie released a detailed development update video, providing insights into the game's mechanics. However, they emphasized that the game was still in its early stages. At that time, player character models were still being refined, and enemy models were in their preliminary phases.

Now, six months later, it seems Bungie is ready to unveil more about their progress. A tweet from the official Marathon account featured a cryptic image and an accompanying garbled signal noise. Fans have spotted ASCII art within the image, reminiscent of the debut Marathon trailer. Given Bungie's reputation for mysterious teasers, hidden clues, and Easter eggs, there's likely much more to uncover, and the community is already on the case.

This development comes after a challenging period for Marathon. The game was first revealed in May 2023 as a reboot of the classic Bungie franchise, promising themes of "mysteries, eeriness, and psychological creepiness." However, Bungie has faced its share of controversies in recent years, including the layoff of 220 staff members in July 2024—17% of its workforce—a move that drew criticism from industry peers. This followed another round of 100 layoffs less than a year prior, with staff describing the studio's atmosphere as "soul-crushing" to IGN.

Further controversy arose when a report surfaced weeks after the 220 job cuts, alleging that former Marathon director Chris Barrett was fired following an internal misconduct investigation at Bungie. Barrett later filed a lawsuit against Sony Interactive Entertainment and Bungie, seeking over $200 million.

Are you excited for Marathon? -----------------------------

YesNo

AnswerSee ResultsThese events coincide with Sony's strategic shift away from live-service games. In November 2023, Sony president Hiroki Totoki announced that the company would focus on launching only six of the 12 planned live service games by March 2026. This shift led to the cancellation of The Last of Us multiplayer game.

While Arrowhead's Helldivers 2 became a breakout success, selling 12 million copies in just 12 weeks and becoming the fastest-selling PlayStation Studios game, other Sony live service games faced significant challenges. Concord, for instance, was a major disappointment, lasting only a few weeks before being taken offline due to low player numbers. Sony eventually decided to terminate the game and shut down its developer.

Moreover, earlier this year, Sony reportedly canceled two unannounced live service games—one a God of War title developed by Bluepoint, and another from Days Gone developer Bend.