Marathon was presupposed to be out months in the past. As a substitute, its coming in March 2026. Bungie revealed the new launch timing in a shock video documentary that went reside on Monday by which the sport’s builders promise a sci-fi survival extraction shooter that’s filled with mysteries and hidden risks.
The contemporary 22-minute deep-dive goes over all the parts of the venture the studio’s been rehabbing because it was indefinitely delayed earlier this 12 months following harsh fan feedback type its preliminary public alpha check. Throughout that quiet interval, Bungie’s held a number of closed beta checks to re-examine gameplay and launched utterly new options, together with proximity chat. After changing into a cornerstone of this fall’s hit rival extraction shooter, Arc Raiders, the function will now be a staple of Marathon as effectively.
The documentary also details the event group’s evolving method to every little thing from audio and visuals to zone design and loot mechanics. The aim is obvious: make Marathon‘s maps and the experiences that happen there have extra of an identification past repetitive beats inside a grindy, quick-match PVP shooter. “We’ve brought a little bit of grounded-ness, a little bit of grit, a little bit of darkness, a little bit of that mood, that kind of is necessary for an extraction shooter to feel dangerous,” mentioned producer Emanuel Rosu.
The video goes on to handle a bunch of different complaints gamers had from the unique public alpha check. That features prioritizing solo play choices, bettering the visuals, and even making it in order that opponent runners depart corpses behind that decay as an alternative of simply having their dropped loot seem as static again packs. There can be 4 maps at launch, together with an end-game space onboard UESC Marathon.
Along with improve bushes, faction ranks, and unlockable rewards, Bungie can be promising some stage of gun customization to vary how weapons play, letting gamers invent iconic gear from the studio’s previous by doing issues like altering an SMG into Halo’s Needler.
Marathon received’t be free-to-play
In a blog post, Bungie outlined what the sport’s method to monetization can be, together with battle passes that don’t expire and no pay-to-win mechanics:
Buying Marathon will provide you with full entry to the sport, together with a roadmap of free gameplay updates because the 12 months progresses. This may embrace new maps, new Runner shells, occasions, and extra, beginning with the exploration of UESC Marathon’s Cryo Archive in Season 1.
We additionally need to guarantee you might be logging in since you love the sport, not from worry of lacking out—so Marathon’s Rewards Passes is not going to expire, and also you’ll be capable to buy and unlock prior Passes.
Lastly, and most significantly, we imagine in preserving aggressive integrity in Marathon, so survival won’t ever come all the way down to how a lot cash you spend.
That is basically the Helldivers 2 playbook, which served that smash-hit reside service sport effectively. As a PVEVP sport, nevertheless, Marathon will face the extra problem of balancing different hostile gamers with its bespoke world-building. We’ll see how that works in observe in only a few months.
