Bungie is gearing up to unveil more about their highly anticipated PvP extraction shooter, Marathon, with an exciting gameplay livestream scheduled for this Saturday, April 12 (or Sunday, April 13, depending on your location).
Last week, the Destiny developer teased fans with a cryptic tweet featuring a 15-second video that sparked a frenzy of sleuthing as part of an "extensive alternative reality game." Savvy players quickly noticed that the ASCII art contained "a snippet of footage from the initial trailer," specifically showing "the runner sprinting down a hall from the trailer."
Another clue emerged: "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."Bungie praised the community's efforts, stating, "Thousands of community members across the world worked together to unlock the gameplay reveal date for Bungie’s upcoming extraction shooter Marathon." The livestream is set to kick off this weekend 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 on Sunday, April 13 at 2 am JST (Tokyo) / 3 am AEST (Sydney) / 5 pm NZST (Auckland).
First revealed in May 2023, Marathon is a reboot of the classic Bungie franchise, infusing it with themes of "mysteries, eeriness, and psychological creepiness." Set on the enigmatic planet of Tau Ceti IV, players will take on the roles of Runners, cybernetic mercenaries crafted to endure the planet's harsh conditions. While exploring the remnants of a lost colony, players will hunt for valuable loot, including new weapons and gear.
Since its initial reveal, updates have been sparse. An October development video shed light on Marathon's mechanics, but the studio emphasized that the game was still in its early stages.
Amidst these developments, Sony has been reevaluating its live-service game strategy following the cancellation of Concord. In November 2023, Sony president Hiroki Totoki announced the company was committed to launching just six of the 12 live service games it had in the pipeline by March 2026, a move that also signaled the end of The Last of Us multiplayer game.
Bungie itself has faced its share of challenges. In July 2024, the company laid off 220 staff members—17% of its workforce—less than a year after 100 other layoffs at Bungie. Additionally, former Marathon director Chris Barrett was allegedly fired after an internal misconduct investigation, leading to Barrett subsequently suing Sony Interactive Entertainment and Bungie for over $200 million.
To catch the Marathon reveal live, tune in to the official Marathon Twitch channel on April 12.
