Bungie to Unveil Marathon Gameplay in Upcoming Livestream

Bungie is gearing up to unveil more details about its highly anticipated PvP extraction shooter, Marathon, with an exciting gameplay livestream scheduled for this Saturday, April 12 (or Sunday, April 13, depending on your global location). This event marks a significant moment for fans eagerly awaiting further insights into the game.

Last week, the developers behind the iconic Destiny series sparked intrigue with a cryptic tweet featuring a 15-second video that sent fans into a frenzy, diving deep into an "extensive alternative reality game." The community quickly discovered embedded ASCII art containing "a snippet of footage from the initial trailer," specifically highlighting "the runner sprinting down a hall from the trailer."

"Thousands of community members across the world worked together to unlock the gameplay reveal date for Bungie’s upcoming extraction shooter Marathon," Bungie announced, confirming that the livestream will take place at 10 am PDT (San Francisco) / 1 pm EDT (New York) / 6 pm BST (London) / 7 pm CEST (Berlin/Paris) / 9 pm GST (Dubai) on Saturday, April 12, or on Sunday, April 13 at 2 am JST (Tokyo) / 3 am AEST (Sydney) / 5 pm NZST (Auckland).

Marathon was revealed in May 2023 as a reboot of the classic Bungie franchise, embracing themes of "mysteries, eeriness, and psychological creepiness." The game is set on the enigmatic planet of Tau Ceti IV, where players will assume the roles of Runners, cybernetic mercenaries engineered to endure the planet's severe conditions. As they explore the remnants of a lost colony, players will hunt for valuable loot, including new weapons and gear.

Since its initial reveal, updates on Marathon have been scarce. A development update video in October provided some insight into the game's mechanics, but Bungie emphasized that the project was still in its early stages.

In the backdrop of these developments, Sony, Bungie's parent company, has been reevaluating its strategy for live-service games. Following the abrupt cancellation of the live-service shooter Concord, Sony president Hiroki Totoki announced in November 2023 that the company would focus on launching just six out of the twelve planned live-service titles by March 2026, a shift that also led to the cancellation of The Last of Us multiplayer game.

Bungie itself has faced its share of challenges. In July 2024, the studio laid off 220 staff members, representing 17% of its workforce, following another round of 100 layoffs less than a year prior. 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.