Marathon is delayed indefinitely due to Alpha Playtest feedback. Read on to learn more about developer Bungie’s decision and which aspects the team is focusing on in the coming months.
Marathon Won’t Release on September 23
Alpha Playtest Feedback Affected the Decision
Developer Bungie’s upcoming sci-fi extraction shooter Marathon will be indefinitely delayed due to "passionate" fan feedback received during its Alpha playtest. According to the dev team’s post on June 17 on Bungie.net, they took into consideration every "comment and real-time conversation on social media and Discord."
This ultimately led them to decide not to release the game on September 23. Bungie stated, "The Alpha test created an opportunity for us to calibrate and focus the game on what will make it uniquely compelling—survival under pressure, mystery and lore around every corner, raid-like endgame challenges, and Bungie’s genre-defining FPS combat."
The developers will use this time to strengthen the team to create the best Marathon game possible. It also allows them to deepen their connection with others and the community, emphasizing their concerns and feedback.
Before Bungie’s statement, Sony announced Marathon’s release window of fiscal year 2025, not its specific release date. This sparked speculation that Marathon would be delayed, which turned out to be true. Fans also point towards the game’s plagiarism claims as one of the reasons for its setback.
While Bungie stated that Marathon’s new release date will be announced this Fall, Sony’s latest business presentation still indicates that the game will be released within the company’s fiscal year (until March 31, 2026).
Major Overhaul in the Coming Months
Bungie laid out their plans for the coming months, continuing closed testing with participants from the Alpha playtest, and rolling out gameplay updates and new features. They also emphasized key areas they will work on, which include the following:
● Upping the Survival Game
● More challenging and engaging AI encounters
● More rewarding runs, with new types of loot and dynamic events
● Making combat more tense and strategic
● Doubling down on the Marathon Universe
● Increased visual fidelity
● More narrative and environmental storytelling to discover and interact with
● A darker tone that delivers on the themes of the original trilogy
● Adding more social experiences
● A better player experience for solo/duos
● Prox chat, so social stories can come to life
Fans on Reddit expressed their concerns regarding Bungie’s update, as the key areas the developers specified are "pretty much everything about the game." One user said that it was essentially a "soft reboot" at this point, based on the number of things the developers need to work on.
Despite this, many have expected Marathon’s delay due to what was showcased so far. Fans also wondered if Fairgames, another upcoming live-service game from Sony, will suffer the same fate, given the studio’s latest blunders in the genre with Concord.
Regardless, Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Hermen Hulst remains optimistic about the company’s endeavors towards the live-service genre. During Sony’s Game & Network Service Fireside Chat on June 13, Hulst boasted their collection of live-service games, including MLB: The Show, Destiny 2, and Helldivers 2.
He is also confident that Marathon will follow suit, learning from the challenges they faced during Concord’s release and eventual flop. Marathon is indefinitely delayed, but is set to launch on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. To stay up to date with the latest information about the game, check out our article below!
Source:
Marathon Development Update
Sony Game & Network Services Segment Slideshow Presentation
Marathon Development Update: After much discussion within our Dev team, we’ve made the decision to delay the September 23rd release
Sony Game & Network Service (G&NS) Segment Fireside Chat
