Bungie's Extraction Shooter, Marathon, Back on Track After a Year of Silence

Marathon’s Game Director finally gave a long-awaited update on their upcoming sci-fi extraction shooter, Marathon. News of the project first broke in 2023, but details have been scarce since then.

Bungie’s Marathon Resurfaces with New Developer UpdateMarathon Game Release Date Still Far Off, But Playtests Are Planned for 2025

For over a year, Bungie has remained mum about their sci-fi extraction shooter, Marathon. Announced in May 2023’s PlayStation Showcase as Bungie’s next major project, the title rekindled nostalgia for the studio’s pre-Halo days, while simultaneously piquing the interest of a new generation of gamers. However, details remained scarce, and the May 2023 announcement was followed by a deafening silence. After more than a year, Bungie finally released a long-awaited developer update for Marathon.

The update, presented by Marathon’s Game Director Joe Ziegler, addressed the community’s concerns head-on. "A lot of you might be asking the question, ‘What is Marathon?’" He clarified that the title is Bungie’s take on the extraction shooter genre. Ziegler was not able to provide gameplay footage, but he did confirm that the game is "on track" and that they have been "doing a lot of aggressive changes to the game" after testing with "a lot of players." He even hinted at a class-based system where players choose and customize "Runners" with unique abilities.

For now, he was only able to provide screenshots for two of the potentially many runners: "Thief" and "Stealth." Ziegler didn't offer much information about the two Runners, but he did say that their names "should give you a hint as to what kind of gameplay that character is going to be driving from."

Despite the lack of information, fans can at least expect expanded playtests in 2025. Bungie may have conducted closed playtests during their radio silence, but these seem to have been limited in scope. According to Ziegler, "We’re looking to add a significant amount of players to each of our milestones as we’re going forward. And some of these big inflections are opportunities for you all to join us."

While the exact date for these playtests remains unknown, Ziegler encouraged fans to wishlist the game on platforms like Steam, Xbox, and PlayStation, as "it will help us know that you want to learn more about the game, and we can sort of send the information your way."

Bungie's Marathon Overview

Marathon is a reimagining of Bungie’s early 1990s Marathon trilogy. The game also represents Bungie’s first major departure from the Destiny franchise in over a decade. According to then-director Chris Barrett, "it’s not a direct sequel to the originals, but something that certainly belongs in the same universe and that feels like a Bungie game."

Barrett added that "you don’t need to know anything about Marathon to understand or play this game, but if you do, we’ve made the experience with references and deep cuts you’ll recognize."

Set on the desolate world of Tau Ceti IV, Marathon is a high-stakes extraction shooter, where players, known as Runners, must "fight for survival, for riches, and for fame." They can either team up with two other Runners or go solo to scavenge for alien artifacts and valuable loot. Be careful, however, as Barrett points out that Runners could encounter "another crew vying for the same loot, or a last-second extraction while beset on all sides."

Barrett said back in 2023 that "Marathon is designed from the start as a PvP-focused game and won’t have a single-player campaign." The game will delve on "creating opportunities for player-driven stories to unfold, stories that are integrated with the overarching game narrative."

As for if this will still be the case with Joe Ziegler now at the helm for Marathon, it remains to be seen. But Ziegler did promise in his Developer Update that "we’re layering on some elements that we think really help modernize it and also bring it to a new story… and new world that we can sort of like continue to update and delight all of you with over the course of time."

Regardless, Bungie is keeping their cards close to their chest, holding back on gameplay footage until they're confident in the final product. However, we know that Marathon is coming to PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S, with cross-play and cross-save features confirmed for all platforms.

What Happened to Marathon’s Development?

In March 2024, Chris Barrett, the original project lead, was reportedly fired from the studio after "he was accused by several female employees of inappropriate behavior," according to Bloomberg. Joe Ziegler then assumed the role of game director, likely leading to a shift in development priorities. Before this, Ziegler was the game director of Riot Games’ Valorant.

Moreover, Bungie faced a significant workforce reduction this year, with layoffs impacting roughly 17% of their staff—220 employees on top of the 100 more they laid off just last year. This undoubtedly impacted the studio’s capacity, leading to a slower development cycle for Marathon.

While 2025 may seem far off, fans can at least take solace in the news of expanded playtests as they speculate about a potential release date. The Developer Update, hopefully, is a sign that development for the game is going smoothly, despite layoffs upon layoffs upon layoffs at Bungie.