Introduction: Game development studio Bungie decided to revive a decades-old Maratho franchise with an upcoming first-person shooter. The same game, called Marathon, is a science-fiction extraction shooter that is set in a strange, alien world. While the appeals of the game’s design show something that could be a worthy addition to the FPS multiplayer landscape, the abundant problems that the game is facing already hint at an uphill struggle to turn Marathon into a popular, live-service game.
Article: The present state of the AAA video game industry has been described by many as an Age of Revivals. In an attempt to assure investors and increase the chances of making profitable video games, developers are growingly pivoting towards restarting old gaming series. Often, these come in the form of obscure, semi-forgotten series that did not see a sequel come out for 10, 20, or even 30 years. Fatal Fury is a great example of this trend. This title is a fighting game that is presently under development, along with the backing of the international superstar Christiano Ronaldo. At the same time, the same series saw its previous release come out in the early 2000s without much success or traction. But, even big companies, in this case, Bungie, are determined to try the same approach. The company, which is currently owned by Sony, recently showcased its Marathon title, a PvP extraction FPS that will be released on September 23, 2025. Additionally, Bungie announced that the game’s Alpha test phase will start on April 23, meaning that the game is already prepared for mass player testing. At the same time, the revival of this franchise left many wondering why Bungie would return to a series that saw its last game come out in 1996 when it was in a completely different form. Furthermore, the questions about the new game’s monetization and positioning compared to other big FPS multiplayer games, mainly Apex Legends, also point out to possible issues that Marathon might face right out of the gates.
Basic Setup of Marathon
According to the developers from Bungie, the best way to describe Marathon is an extraction shooter that is team-based. It takes place in a distant future, on the mysterious planet of Tau Ceti IV. Here, in the ship orbiting a lost colony on the planet’s surface, players take on the roles of Runners. These characters are mercenaries with cybernetic upgrades that replace their human body parts with biosynthetic augmentations. Together, they descend to the planet, where they engage in fast-paced combat with the native flora and fauna, but also with each other, as they gather valuables and work to escape every mission alive. The same process equates to the principles of the extraction shooter genre, where players enter matches with a particular set of gear, but then continuously upgrade it with elements they find planetside. If they get to extract successfully, they keep everything they looted, but if they’re killed, they stand to lose it all. The extraction genre was made popular by games like Hunt: Showdown 1896 and Escape from Tarkov, which all offered a unique twist on the standard FPS multiplayer genre. Bungie is now hoping to do something similar with its Marathon release.
Team-Based Mechanics
In Marathon, besides the fact that players can find loot in and around the Tau Ceti IV lost colony, they also have initial access to Runner classes. The game will offer six of these, including four that will be available for the Alpha testing. These are pretty familiar to the FPS gamers, as they include Void which resides on stealth, and Glitch which is a tank-like class. There are also Blackbird and Locus, which provide a slightly different balance. Each class will have its initial powers and abilities, but these will take a backseat to the items that the players can find during matches. Here, in its looting and scavenging aspect, Marathon hopes to attract its new players. The environment should be filled with materials, equipment, and weapons, all with a strong focus on team communication and collaboration. This means that the players are expected to share objectives on their runs, use contextual pings to act as unified fire groups and complete quests together. Otherwise, a Runner deciding to go at it as a loner should be easy prey to the unrelenting planet’s ecosystem or other teams of scavengers. However, the developers are underlining that going solo will also be an option in the game at some point.
Familiar Feel
Overall, the concept that Marathon offers seems like a solid notion, especially thanks to its interesting, neon-soaked visuals and cyber-themed aesthetics. But, at the same time, the game very much feels like a version of the still very popular Apex Legends. Here, Marathon’s Runner classes and the need to play in a collaborative fashion look like it was taken directly from the older title and simply set in a different franchise. That decision, while legitimate from a perspective of the broader trend of gaming series revivals, is also questionable, being that few if anyone know of Marathon and want to play a game set in this obscure fictional universe. Furthermore, Bungie is also determined to provide a new release for the very crowded extraction shooter domain. Not long ago, Battle Royale was an insanely popular shooter mode, only to fizzle out at some point due to overdevelopment. Chances are high that Bungie might see that extraction shooters are also on their way out in 2026 when Marathon should enter its best days.
PSN Login and Pricing
Another big initial problem grew around Bungie and their Marathon development. Firstly, the company had to officially explain that the players would not have to use a PSN login to get the game. This came as a direct response from the developers saying that players will not need to have a PlayStation Account to play the game on their Xbox consoles or PCs. The same was important as already games like Helldivers 2 saw a range of problems because of that PSN requirement. However, a secondary question came from this as well and it was related to the game’s pricing. Many thought that Marathon, having in mind its core audience, would be a free-to-play title, similar to games like Apex Legends or other team-based shooters, for example, Valorant. Instead, the team at Bungie confirmed that the game will be a premium title, even though it will likely not come with a AAA price tag. Instead, players will have to buy the game that has no single-player campaign and will likely launch with just three or four maps. For many, that, along with a range of other possible issues, means that Marathon is a non-starter. Bungie will have to push uphill in the coming weeks and prove through its Alpha phase that the game is worth both time and money. If not, Marathon’s revival will likely return the series to its ongoing dormant state.
Game content available on Steam
Author: Ivica Milaric, game designer and assistant professor of game design at the Novi Sada Academy of Arts, Republic of Serbia