Bungie is gearing up to showcase more of its eagerly awaited PvP extraction shooter, Marathon, with an exciting gameplay livestream scheduled for this Saturday, April 12 (or Sunday, April 13, depending on your location). This event marks a significant milestone for fans eagerly awaiting more details about the game.
Last week, Bungie teased the community with a cryptic tweet featuring a mysterious 15-second video, sparking an "extensive alternative reality game" that set fans on a thrilling detective quest. Within the ASCII art of the video, keen-eyed players spotted "a snippet of footage from the initial trailer," specifically "the runner sprinting down a hall from the trailer." The intrigue deepened with another message: "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 acknowledged 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 scheduled for 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, and Sunday, April 13 at 2 am JST (Tokyo) / 3 am AEST (Sydney) / 5 am NZST (Auckland).
Marathon was first revealed in May 2023 as a reboot of the classic Bungie franchise, bringing back themes of "mysteries, eeriness, and psychological creepiness." The game is set on the mysterious planet of Tau Ceti IV, where players take on the roles of Runners, cybernetic mercenaries designed to endure the planet's harsh conditions. As they explore the remnants of a lost colony, players will hunt for valuable loot, including new weapons and gear.
Since the initial reveal, updates have been scarce. In October, a development update video provided insight into Marathon's mechanics, though Bungie emphasized that the game was still in its early stages of development.
Amidst these developments, Sony, Bungie's parent company, has been reevaluating its focus on 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 launch only six of the 12 live service games it was working on by March 2026. This shift also led to the cancellation of The Last of Us multiplayer game.
Bungie has faced its own challenges as well. In July 2024, the company laid off 220 staff members, representing 17% of its workforce, less than a year after another round of 100 layoffs at Bungie. Additionally, controversy arose when former Marathon director Chris Barrett was allegedly fired following an internal misconduct investigation, leading to Barrett's lawsuit against Sony Interactive Entertainment and Bungie for over $200 million.
To catch the Marathon gameplay reveal live, tune in to the official Marathon Twitch channel on April 12.