Marathon, a reboot of one ofBungie’sclassic franchises, has long been in the news, promising to deliver a mixture of extraction shooter gameplay alongside Bungie’s signature talent for worldbuilding.
However, considering thatSony acquired Bungiea few years ago with the intention of developing more live-service titles, such as theDestiny franchise,the studio’s output over the last few years has likely not met Sony’s expectations.
Divisive SWAT Game Ready Or Not Console Release Date And DLC Finally Confirmed
LSPD, get on the ground, now!
Bungie’s last major game wasDestiny 2, released in 2017, withMarathonbeing the first big release for Sony to recoup its investment after the acquisition. Sadly,Marathon’sdevelopment – at least from the public’s perspective – has been anything but smooth.
Just about a month ago, a massive scandal brought forth undeniableaccusations of plagiarism. And despite promising previews of the Alpha build of the game,Bungie has just announced that Marathon is delayed, and it doesn’t appear that a refreshed release date is anywhere in sight.
As arecent blog postexplained, Bungie needs “more time to craftMarathoninto the game that truly reflects your passion. After much discussion within our Dev team, we’ve made the decision to delay the September 23rd release.”
Compared to other promising extraction shooters, such asARC RaidersorEscape From Tarkov, both of which are planned to have a 1.0 release around the same time asMarathon’soriginal release date, it appears thatMarathonmay need some more time in the oven.
In the next few months, they plan to continue closed testing, taking into account all feedback from fans regarding the previous Alpha test of the game. This means increasing the stakes of survival gameplay byimproving both combat and AI design, as well as potentially adding proximity chat.
One change that sticks out the most is their promise for more engaging andsophisticated storytelling. From this, they want “a darker tone that delivers on the themes of the original trilogy,” along with more environmental storytelling.
However, because the biggest scandal regardingMarathoninvolves the copying of visual elements that contribute to the game’s unique visual style, fans are naturally curious about the extent to which this scandal is related to the current pushback, especially considering the lack of a release date.
Controversy Surrounding Marathon
For some context, back in May,several online postspointed out thatMarathonhad definitively ripped off several visual assets from an outside artist. These weren’t similar designs or took heavy inspirations;they were 100% stolen digital assets, almost pixel for pixel.
Since then, theMarathondevs have delivered afairly blanket apology, and for obvious reasons, refusing to place any blame on anyone in particular. For the most part, it seems that inspiration/mood board artwork was taken too far into the development process and accidentally included in the recent Alpha build of the game.
However, this slip-up meant that Bungie had to go back and make sure every single asset in Marathon wasn’t similarly stolen.This meant Bungie was facing weeks, if not months, of checking every individual asset in the game, along with internal investigations.
ARC Raiders Preview: A Rare Original Extraction Shooter
This game is exactly what the extraction genre has been crying out for.
So, along with their plans to improve combat, storytelling, and gameplay, the overall fan reception ofMarathon, especially following the plagiarism controversy, is anything but optimistic, particularly compared to other upcoming extraction shooters, such as the previously mentionedTarkovandARC Raiders.
For one,Tarkovhas been in early-access development for nearly a decade, finally building to its1.0 release. On the other hand,ARC Raidershas been hailed asone of the most promisingmultiplayer games of this year, andMarathon’sdelay is making that all the more likely.
And the most deafening part of this announcement is that, with no release date planned,Marathon’scontroversy is now left to simmer,and the devs and community almost feel like they’re back at square one, with a whole marathon of hype torecover(sorry, I couldn’t help myself).
Honestly, I wantMarathonto succeed, if not for myself or extraction shooter fans, then for my friends who’ve been inDestinypurgatory for almost 10 years. But, with this delay and no end in sight, I think it’ll be a surprise if we’re able to get there.
WHERE TO PLAY
From the creators of Halo and Destiny…Scavenge the lost colony of Tau Ceti IV in Bungie’s team-based FPS extraction shooter. Choose your Runner and work together in crews of three as you battle rival teams and hostile security forces for weapons and upgrades. Survive and your loot is yours to keep for future runs on Tau Ceti—or if you’re brave enough, a journey to the derelict Marathon ship that hangs above.Become a Runner:Choose from a roster of cybernetic mercenaries with unique abilities. Customize your playstyle with the weapons, implants, and equipment you collect on your runs. Every match is a chance to experiment, buildcraft, and come back stronger.Welcome to Tau Ceti IV:What once was a thriving colony is now a battleground for rival factions competing for power and fortune, hiring Runners to track down weapons, valuables, and the edge they need to win.Fun and competitive at all skill levels:Bungie’s best-in-class first person gunplay makes playing at every skill level satisfying. With multiple maps to choose from, you can sharpen your skills in starter areas, then challenge yourself in high-stakes zones and Ranked mode in season one.
