Remember Marathon? It's the next big project from Destiny developer Bungie, and it seems we're on the brink of getting a deeper look into what's in store. Marathon is shaping up to be an exciting PvP-focused extraction shooter set on the mysterious planet of Tau Ceti IV. Players will step into the shoes of Runners, cybernetic mercenaries engineered to withstand the planet's harsh conditions, as they explore the remnants of a lost colony on its surface.
It's been a while since we've had any updates on Marathon. Back in October, Bungie shared a comprehensive development update video that gave us insights into the game's mechanics, though they made it clear that Marathon was still in its early stages. At that time, player character models were still being refined, and enemy models were in a preliminary state.
Now, six months later, it appears Bungie is gearing up to unveil more of what they've been working on. A tweet from the official Marathon account featured a cryptic image alongside a distorted audio signal. Eagle-eyed fans quickly spotted ASCII art from the debut Marathon trailer within the image. Given Bungie's reputation for weaving mysterious teasers, hidden clues, and Easter eggs into their announcements, there's likely a lot more to uncover, and the community is already diving in to decipher it all.
pic.twitter.com/6NBgIdRVK2
— Marathon (@MarathonTheGame) April 4, 2025
Marathon was first unveiled in May 2023 as a reboot of the classic Bungie franchise, promising to delve into themes of "mysteries, eeriness, and psychological creepiness." However, Bungie has faced its share of challenges in recent years. The studio made headlines in July 2024 when it laid off 220 staff members, representing 17% of its workforce—a decision that drew criticism even from industry peers. This followed another round of 100 layoffs less than a year prior, with staff members telling IGN that the atmosphere at the studio was "soul-crushing."
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. Barrett later filed a lawsuit against Sony Interactive Entertainment and Bungie, seeking over $200 million in damages.
AnswerSee ResultsThese developments 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 just six of the 12 live service games initially planned by March 2026. This shift in strategy led to the cancellation of The Last of Us multiplayer game.
While Arrowhead's Helldivers 2 was a massive success, selling 12 million copies in just 12 weeks and becoming the fastest-selling PlayStation Studios game ever, other live service games from Sony faced significant challenges. Sony's Concord, for instance, turned out to be one of the biggest flops in PlayStation history, surviving only a few weeks due to extremely low player engagement before being shut down entirely along with its developer.
Earlier this year, Sony also canceled two unannounced live service games, including a God of War project at Bluepoint and another at Days Gone developer Bend.
