In May 2023, Bungie announced the reboot of Marathon, a long-dormant franchise that hadn’t seen a new release since the mid-1990s. At the time, the only confirmed detail was that the game would be a PvP extraction-based first-person shooter. Beyond that, information was scarce—until now.
On April 12, 2025, Bungie hosted a highly anticipated livestream to showcase Marathon and reveal key gameplay details. The event provided long-awaited insights for fans who had been eagerly awaiting more information.
The livestream sparked a wide range of reactions across the gaming community. While some viewers were excited and impressed by the gameplay and direction, others expressed disappointment, questioning whether Bungie can truly deliver a premium experience. With the gaming market increasingly dominated by free-to-play titles, many wonder if Marathon can stand out. Let’s stick to the facts and discuss what we know so far.
What is Marathon?
Marathon is a sci-fi extraction shooter that takes place in the year 2893 where players form squads of three and explore the ruins of a lost colony on Tau Ceti IV. Each match takes place in a dynamic, shared world.
Teams must scavenge for valuable loot, powerful weapons, and rare gear. Along the way, they face hostile AI, alien threats, and rival Runner squads. The goal is simple: grab as much loot as possible and extract before getting eliminated by enemies or the environment.
Price and Release date for Marathon
As of now, Bungie has confirmed that Marathon will not launch at full price, but it will still be considered a “premium” title. While no official pricing has been announced, this wording suggests a potential price point around $40 (similar to Helldivers 2).
Regarding ongoing costs, Bungie has also indicated that Marathon will feature a battle pass system to support post-launch content. However, details about the battle pass, including its pricing and contents, remain unknown. Also, Seasons will be part of post-launch support. These will be reset every three months (similar to Destiny 2). Marathon will launch on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC platforms on September 23, 2025, and supports cross-play and save functionality.
Bungie also clarified that Marathon will not be a free-to-play experience, but a ‘premium release that is not full-priced’, promising more information regarding the game’s launch price this Summer.
Confirmed Content and Alpha Play Testing
At launch, Marathon will feature six playable runners, each equipped with a unique kit that grants specific abilities and traits. These diverse loadouts offer players a range of playstyles and encourage strategic team compositions.
For example, Locus utilizes the Destroyer Kit, featuring a powerful shoulder-mounted cannon capable of firing homing missiles. This emphasis on varied abilities adds depth to gameplay and makes each runner feel distinct.
Four runners—Locus, Blackbird, Glitch, and Void—will be available in the upcoming Marathon alpha test, which begins on April 23, 2025. Players interested in joining the alpha can sign up by joining the official Marathon Discord channel. Also, two of the three maps will be playable within the upcoming Alpha
The Iron Lord – Some Thoughts from Lord Cognito
Being an expert on all things Bungie, we asked Lord Cognito for his thoughts on the Marathon gameplay reveal. This is what he said about the Stream.
Initial impressions was medicore at first. I felt that their stream did not do the game justice. The problem with that stream, was that there was minimal game compared to how long the developers talked. In past Bunge streams, anytime there was a new content update, you get tangible evidence of what they are talking about.
They are great explaining mechanics and everything they are talking about when paired with gameplay. A live show was a mistake on that front, as you cannot show everything you are talking about.
What they did show was, okay. The art style was the strongest, with a great astetic. I liked the idea of what they are trying to do, but I’m not the extraction shooter guy. From a pure gameplay standpoint though, I can see Bungie pulling it off.
And the cinematic, did not land for many. It screamed Kojima and we all felt lost. I came out from the stream feeling middling overall.
But he also had time to reflect on the gameplay reveal, speaking with people who had hands-on time with the title via The Last Word podcast.
II was able to talk to Tie Guy Travis (IGN) and Skarrow who played numerous hours of Marathon and its latest build at Bungie HQ. They explained it way better than Bungie.
They had me really understand the different runners, their styles, and the tension with item drops. They said ‘the game was fun and addicting’.
The price point being $40 is a tough pill to swollow in a free-to-play market. But after learning about the all the different mechanics, enviroments and so much more, it sounds more promising. I firmly believe they should push the release date; Borderlands 4 is a major franchise that will move numbers.
It was explained to me, overall, that Marathon it’s harder to ‘talk about’. An open beta will do a lot of help to help sell what Bungie is trying to do with Marathon.
Additional Information That is Known About Marathon
To wrap up, here are a few extra details worth noting about Marathon.
The game will feature dedicated servers to ensure stable online performance. For security, Bungie is implementing BattlEye Anti-Cheat, a kernel-level system also used in popular titles like Fortnite. While effective, kernel-level anti-cheat software has sparked concern among gamers due to its deep system access.
Bungie has also confirmed that ranked play is on the roadmap. However, it won’t be available at launch. Ranked modes are expected to arrive sometime after the game’s official release in September 2025.
