Bungie is set to unveil more of its highly anticipated PvP extraction shooter, Marathon, with an exclusive gameplay livestream scheduled for this Saturday, April 12 (or Sunday, April 13 depending on your location).
Recently, the Destiny developer teased fans with a cryptic tweet featuring a strange 15-second video that quickly sparked a deep-dive investigation from the community as part of an elaborate alternative reality game (ARG).
Fans discovered that hidden within the ASCII art was “a piece of footage from the original trailer.” Upon closer inspection, players noticed it showed “the Runner sprinting down a corridor from the trailer.”
Another clue added: “WHEN WILL HE RETURN ERROR ERROR ERROR HAS OCCURRED THE ENEMY RETURNED SYSTEM WARNING: PROTOCOL BREACH EVACUATE THE BASE IMMEDIATELY ALL UNITS REPORT TO STATION INITIATE EMERGENCY PROTOCOL 7 DATA LOSS IMMINENT GOOD LUCK, COMMANDER.”
“Thousands of community members across the globe worked together to uncover the gameplay reveal date for Bungie’s upcoming extraction shooter Marathon,” Bungie shared in an official statement. The livestream will take place at 10 am PDT (San Francisco) / 1 pm EDT (New York) / 6 pm BST (London) / 7 pm CEST (Berlin/Paris) / 9 pm GST (Dubai), or Sunday, April 13 at 2 am JST (Tokyo) / 3 am AEST (Sydney) / 5 pm NZST (Auckland).
Marathon was first announced in May 2023 as a modern reimagining of Bungie’s iconic franchise, bringing back core themes of mystery, suspense, and psychological tension. Set on the enigmatic world of Tau Ceti IV, players step into the role of Runners—cybernetically enhanced mercenaries built to endure the planet’s extreme conditions. As they explore the remnants of a lost colony, players will scavenge valuable loot including new weapons and equipment.
Since its initial reveal, details have been sparse. In October, a development update offered insight into Marathon's gameplay mechanics, though the studio emphasized how early the project still is in production.
Meanwhile, following the sudden cancellation of the live-service title Concord, Sony has begun reassessing its strategy around ongoing service-based games. In November 2023, Sony President Hiroki Totoki announced the company now plans to launch only six out of twelve originally planned live-service titles by March 2026—a move that also led to the cancellation of the The Last of Us multiplayer game.
Bungie has faced internal turbulence as well. In July 2024, the studio laid off 220 employees—roughly 17% of its workforce—less than a year after cutting another 100 positions. Shortly afterward, former Marathon director Chris Barrett was reportedly terminated following an internal misconduct probe. Barrett later filed a lawsuit against Sony Interactive Entertainment and Bungie seeking over $200 million in damages.
To catch the Marathon gameplay reveal live, tune in to the official Marathon Twitch channel on April 12.
