Bungie is gearing up to unveil more of its highly anticipated PvP extraction shooter, Marathon, through an exciting gameplay livestream scheduled for this Saturday, April 12 (or Sunday, April 13, depending on your location).
Last week, the Destiny developer sparked curiosity with a mysterious tweet featuring a cryptic 15-second video, prompting fans to dive into an "extensive alternative reality game." Enthusiasts quickly deciphered that the ASCII art concealed "a snippet of footage from the initial trailer," specifically showing "the runner sprinting down a hall from the trailer."
Another clue surfaced with the 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 praised the global community effort, 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 for 10 am PDT (San Francisco) / 1 pm EDT (New York) / 6 pm BST (London) / 7 pm CEST (Berlin/Paris) / 9 pm GST (Dubai) or Sunday, April 13 at 2 am JST (Tokyo) / 3 am AEST (Sydney) / 5 pm NZST (Auckland).
Marathon was first announced in May 2023 as a reboot of the iconic Bungie franchise, blending themes of "mysteries, eeriness, and psychological creepiness." The game is set on the enigmatic planet of Tau Ceti IV, where players take on the roles of Runners, cybernetic mercenaries engineered to withstand the planet's harsh conditions. As players explore the remnants of a lost colony, they'll hunt for valuable loot, including new weapons and gear.
Since the initial reveal, updates have been scarce, though a development video in October offered insights into Marathon's mechanics, highlighting the game's early stages of development.
Amidst these developments, Sony has been reevaluating its live-service game strategy. Following the abrupt cancellation of Concord, Sony president Hiroki Totoki announced in November 2023 that the company would focus on launching only six out of the twelve planned live-service games by March 2026. This shift also led to the cancellation of the The Last of Us multiplayer project.
Bungie itself has faced its share of challenges. The company laid off 220 employees—17% of its workforce—in July 2024, less than a year after another round of 100 layoffs. Additionally, former Marathon director Chris Barrett was reportedly fired following an internal misconduct investigation, and he subsequently filed a lawsuit against Sony Interactive Entertainment and Bungie seeking over $200 million.
To catch the Marathon reveal live, tune in to the official Marathon Twitch channel on April 12.
