Bungie has officially announced the revival of its legendary sci-fi first-person shooter (FPS) franchise, Marathon. This marks a significant moment for fans of the series, as the franchise has been dormant for over two decades. The announcement has sparked excitement and curiosity, not only about the new game but also about the rich history of the Marathon universe.
The Origins of Marathon
The Marathon series debuted in 1994 as a groundbreaking FPS for the Apple Macintosh. At a time when PC gaming was dominated by titles like Doom and Wolfenstein 3D, Bungie chose the Mac platform for its openness to developers. The original Marathon was set in the year 2794 aboard the colony ship UESC Marathon. Players took on the role of an unnamed security officer tasked with defending the ship against an alien race known as the S’pht. The game’s narrative unfolded through computer terminals, offering messages from the ship’s AIs, crew diary entries, and other databases. This innovative storytelling approach set Marathon apart from other FPS games of its era.
The sequel, Marathon 2: Durandal, released in 1995, continued the story with the security officer being abducted by the sentient AI Durandal. The game introduced players to the S’pht homeworld, Lh’owon, and expanded on the series’ lore. Marathon 2 also introduced multiplayer modes that would later influence Bungie’s Halo series, including Deathmatch and King of the Hill.
The original Marathon games were celebrated for their deep narrative and innovative multiplayer modes. Today’s announcement suggests that Bungie is focusing on leveraging modern technology to enhance these elements. The new game is expected to offer a more immersive experience, with advanced graphics and potentially new multiplayer features that build on the foundation laid by the original series.
This revival is not just a nostalgic trip down memory lane; it’s a bold step forward for Bungie and the Marathon franchise. Fans of the original games and newcomers alike have much to look forward to as Bungie reimagines one of its most iconic properties.
The official 4/12/25 announcement
Bungie’s announcement of the new Marathon game brings the franchise into the modern era. While details are still emerging, the new game is set to take place in the same universe as the original series but will feature updated gameplay mechanics, graphics, and storytelling techniques. Bungie aims to honor the legacy of Marathon while introducing it to a new generation of gamers.
In Marathon, you step into the boots (or rather, cybernetic enhancements) of a Runner, a mercenary tasked with venturing into hostile zones to secure valuable loot. But you’re not alone – or rather, you are alone, but so are up to 17 other players in each zone. Form a crew of up to three and brace yourselves for encounters with rival runners, formidable security forces, and other unknown threats lurking within the ruins.
The core loop of Marathon is simple yet exhilarating: deploy into a zone, strategically gather loot, and successfully extract. Sounds straightforward, right? Wrong. Failure to extract means losing everything you’ve acquired. This high-risk, high-reward system injects a palpable tension into every encounter and decision you make.
Before dropping into the chaos, strategic planning is key. You’ll need to carefully build your loadout and select a Runner that complements your playstyle and your team’s composition. Once boots hit the ground, expect dynamic and tactical gunplay. This isn’t a run-and-gun affair; positioning, utilizing your Runner’s unique abilities, and customizing your build will be crucial for survival.
Teamwork Makes the Dream Work (or Surviving a Nightmare)
While solo runs are possible for the brave (or foolish!), Marathon heavily emphasizes teamwork. The game features intuitive tools like contextual pings to facilitate communication and shared objectives to keep your crew coordinated. Down but not out? Thankfully, teammates can revive each other, offering a lifeline in the heat of battle.
A World That Lives and Breathes (and Shoots Back)
Forget static environments. Marathon promises a dynamic experience with ever-changing events, unpredictable weather patterns that can shift the battlefield, and of course, the wildcard element of other players with their own agendas. No two runs will feel exactly the same, ensuring a high degree of replayability and constant adaptation.
Meet the Runners: Choose Your Weapon (and Abilities)
We got a closer look at a few of the distinct Runner types, each bringing unique skills to the table:
- Foil: The master of stealth, perfect for scouting ahead, flanking enemies, and avoiding unwanted attention. If you prefer a more clandestine approach, Foil might be your go-to.
- Glitch: An agile disruptor, designed to get in close, cause chaos, and destabilize enemy formations. If you like to be a slippery and disruptive force, Glitch could be your ideal pick.
- Support: The backbone of any good crew, providing essential support through extra equipment and vital shield charges. If you prefer a more supportive role, keeping your team alive and well-equipped, this Runner is for you.
Beyond the Loot: Progression and the Long Haul
The loot you manage to extract isn’t just for bragging rights. It fuels your future runs, allowing you to grow in power and tackle even greater challenges. This persistent progression system ensures that every successful extraction contributes to your overall strength and preparedness.
But the journey doesn’t end with looting and extracting. Marathon has ambitious plans for the future, including challenging endgame content, competitive ranked play to test your skills against the best, hidden secrets waiting to be uncovered, a seasonal storytelling approach to unravel the mysteries of Taeti IV, and engaging community events to keep the experience fresh and exciting.
The stage is set, Runners. Season 1 promises to delve deep into the lore and secrets of Taeti IV. Get ready to explore its ruins, face its dangers, and carve your legend in this high-stakes extraction shooter. Marathon looks set to deliver a thrilling and dynamic multiplayer experience that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
Marathon is slated to be released on September 23, 2025 for the Playstation 5, Xbox Series S & X and PC (via Steam), so Bungie being a independent subsidiary of Sony Interactive Entertainment wasn’t a deterrent of the game landing elsewhere from Playstation.
But before the release, the game will have closed alpha testing period that starts April 23 and any players interested in the testing Marathon ahead of its September release can sign up on the Marathon’s official Discord (subject to be selected after the process which includes a NDA and a survey [which disallow me to share details until Bungie authorize me]).
Some early expectations about the game (from game’s Direction Joe Ziegler follow-up declarations) is that Bungie doesn’t see Marathon as a competing response to other extraction games and also, that Proximity Chat will NOT be a thing on the game.
About viewing Marathon as a mere extraction competitor:
I don’t think of making games as directly competing and trying to eat a bunch of other people’s lunch.
On proximity chat:
I think the challenge is how to make sure we’re creating a safe environment for players inside of that space. I don’t think anyone really has a good solution to that just yet.
