Bungie to Unveil Marathon Gameplay in Upcoming Livestream

Bungie, the renowned developer behind Destiny, is gearing up to unveil more about its much-anticipated PvP extraction shooter, Marathon, with an exciting gameplay livestream scheduled for this Saturday, April 12 (or Sunday, April 13, depending on your time zone).

Last week, Bungie sparked intrigue across the gaming community with a cryptic tweet featuring a 15-second video that immediately sent fans on a sleuthing adventure as part of an "extensive alternative reality game." Savvy players deciphered the ASCII art within the video, uncovering "a snippet of footage from the initial trailer," specifically capturing the moment of "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 proudly stated. 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) or 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, infused with themes of "mysteries, eeriness, and psychological creepiness." Set on the enigmatic planet of Tau Ceti IV, players will embody Runners—cybernetic mercenaries engineered 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 sparse. A development update video in October shed light on Marathon's mechanics, though the studio emphasized the game's early development stage.

Meanwhile, the gaming industry landscape has shifted. Following the abrupt cancelation of the live-service shooter Concord, Sony is rethinking its strategy regarding live-service games. In November 2023, Sony president Hiroki Totoki announced the company was committed to launching just six of the 12 live service games it was working on by March 2026, indicating the cancelation of projects like The Last of Us multiplayer game.

Bungie itself has faced its share of challenges. The studio laid off 220 staff members—17% of its workforce—in July 2024, less than a year after 100 other layoffs at Bungie. Shortly thereafter, it was revealed that former Marathon director Chris Barrett was allegedly fired following an internal misconduct investigation at Bungie, leading to Barrett subsequently suing Sony Interactive Entertainment and Bungie for more than $200 million.

To catch the Marathon gameplay reveal live, tune in to the official Marathon Twitch channel on April 12.