Remember Marathon? It's the next big game from Destiny developer Bungie, and it seems like we're on the verge of getting a deeper look into it. Marathon is a PvP-focused extraction shooter set on the mysterious 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 on Tau Ceti's surface.
It's been a while since we last heard about Marathon. Back in October, Bungie shared a comprehensive development update video that provided insights into the game's mechanics. However, they emphasized that the game was still in its early stages. At that time, player character models were still being refined, and enemy models were in their initial phases.
Fast forward six months, and it appears that Bungie is gearing up to unveil more about what they've been working on. A tweet from the official Marathon account showcased a cryptic image accompanied by distorted signal noise. Eagle-eyed fans have spotted ASCII art within the image, 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 on the case.
pic.twitter.com/6NBgIdRVK2
— Marathon (@MarathonTheGame) April 4, 2025
Marathon was first revealed in May 2023 as a reboot of the classic Bungie franchise, retaining its themes of "mysteries, eeriness, and psychological creepiness." However, Bungie has faced significant challenges in recent years, highlighted by the layoffs of 220 staff members in July 2024, which accounted for 17% of its workforce. This move was widely criticized by industry peers. This followed another round of layoffs just months prior, with 100 employees let go, creating what was described as a "soul-crushing" atmosphere at the studio.
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 subsequently filed a lawsuit against Sony Interactive Entertainment and Bungie for over $200 million.
AnswerSee ResultsAll of this comes as Sony is reevaluating its focus on live-service games. In November 2023, Sony president Hiroki Totoki announced that the company would launch only six out of the twelve live service games originally planned by March 2026, marking a strategic shift that led to the cancellation of The Last of Us multiplayer game.
While Arrowhead's Helldivers 2 was a massive success, becoming the fastest-selling PlayStation Studios game ever with 12 million copies sold in just 12 weeks, Sony's other live service games faced either cancellation or disastrous launches. Notably, Sony's Concord turned out to be one of the biggest video game flops in PlayStation history, surviving only a few weeks before being taken offline due to extremely low player engagement. Eventually, Sony decided to terminate the game and close its developer.
Earlier this year, Sony reportedly canceled two unannounced live service games, one being a God of War title developed by Bluepoint and the other from the team behind Days Gone at Bend Studio.
