Remember Marathon? It's the highly anticipated next game from Destiny developer Bungie, and it seems we're finally on the cusp of seeing more of it.
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 withstand the planet's harsh conditions, as they explore the remnants of a lost colony.
It's been a while since we last heard about Marathon. In October, Bungie shared a detailed development update video, providing insights into the game's mechanics but emphasizing that it was still in the early stages. At that time, player character models were still being refined, and enemy models were in their initial phases.
Now, half a year later, it appears Bungie is ready to unveil more of what they've been working on. A tweet from the official Marathon account showcased 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 much more to uncover, and the community is already diving in to decipher it all.
Regardless, it seems that Marathon is finally moving forward after a challenging development period.
pic.twitter.com/6NBgIdRVK2
— Marathon (@MarathonTheGame) April 4, 2025
Marathon 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 several controversies in recent years, including the layoff of 220 staff members in July 2024, which represented 17% of its workforce. This move drew criticism even from industry peers.
This followed another round of layoffs less than a year prior, with 100 staff members let go, leaving the studio's atmosphere described as "soul crushing" by those affected.
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 at Bungie. Barrett later filed a lawsuit against Sony Interactive Entertainment and Bungie, seeking over $200 million in damages.
Amidst these challenges, Sony is reevaluating its focus on live-service games. In November 2023, Sony president Hiroki Totoki announced that the company would launch only six of the 12 live service games it had been developing by March 2026, marking a strategic shift that led to the cancellation of The Last of Us multiplayer game.
While Arrowhead's Helldivers 2 achieved remarkable success, selling 12 million copies in just 12 weeks and becoming the fastest-selling PlayStation Studios game ever, Sony's other live service efforts either faced cancellation or disastrous launches.
Sony's Concord, for instance, became one of the biggest video game flops in PlayStation history, surviving only a couple of weeks due to extremely low player engagement before being taken offline and eventually terminated along with its developer.
Additionally, earlier this year, Sony reportedly canceled two unannounced live service games, one being a God of War project developed by Bluepoint, and another from Days Gone developer Bend.
