Remember Marathon? It's the next big project from Destiny developer Bungie, and it seems we're on the verge of getting a deeper look into what's in store.
Marathon is a PvP-focused extraction shooter set on the enigmatic planet of Tau Ceti IV. Players take on the roles of Runners, cybernetic mercenaries engineered to endure the planet's unforgiving conditions, as they explore the remnants of a lost colony on Tau Ceti's surface.
It's been a while since we last heard about Marathon. In October, Bungie shared a detailed development update video, giving us a glimpse into Marathon'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 phase.
Now, half a year later, it appears Bungie is ready to unveil more about Marathon. A recent tweet from the official Marathon account featured a cryptic image accompanied by distorted signal noise. Fans have spotted ASCII art reminiscent of footage from the debut Marathon trailer. Given Bungie's reputation for mysterious teasers, hidden clues, and Easter eggs, there's likely more to uncover, and the community is already hard at work deciphering the message.
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, emphasizing themes of "mysteries, eeriness, and psychological creepiness." However, Bungie has faced significant controversies in recent years, including the layoff of 220 staff members in July 2024, representing 17% of its workforce—a move that drew criticism from industry peers. This followed another round of 100 layoffs less than a year earlier, with staff describing the studio's atmosphere as "soul-crushing."
Further turmoil arose when reports surfaced weeks after the 220 job cuts, alleging that former Marathon director Chris Barrett was fired following an internal misconduct investigation. Barrett subsequently filed a lawsuit against Sony Interactive Entertainment and Bungie, seeking over $200 million in damages.
These events coincide with Sony's strategic shift away from live-service games. In November 2023, Sony president Hiroki Totoki announced the company's plan to launch only six of the 12 live service games it had in development by March 2026. This shift led to the cancellation of The Last of Us multiplayer game.
While Arrowhead's Helldivers 2 achieved remarkable success, becoming the fastest-selling PlayStation Studios game with 12 million copies sold in just 12 weeks, other Sony live service games faced significant challenges. Sony's Concord, for example, was a major disappointment, lasting only a couple of weeks before being taken offline due to extremely low player numbers. Eventually, Sony decided to terminate the game and shutter its developer.
Moreover, earlier this year, Sony reportedly canceled two unannounced live service games—one a God of War title developed by Bluepoint, and the other from Days Gone developer Bend.
Are you excited for Marathon?
