Bungie’s Marathon isn’t just another high-stakes live-service gamble—it might be one of the most overburdened projects in recent gaming history.
The latest controversy might have sealed its fate. The project was pushed hard to succeed, but things fell apart fast after claims surfaced about stolen artwork.
Concept work from digital artist Antireal appears to have been directly lifted into Marathon’s design, with several assets showing near one-to-one similarities.
Bungie claimed a “former artist” was behind it, but that hasn’t stopped the backlash. The visual identity that once set Marathon apart is now mocked. Fans have renamed it “ART Raiders,” and trust in Bungie’s leadership is in freefall.
The controversy surfaced in a key livestream where Bungie aimed to address recent Closed Alpha feedback. Marathon isn’t just under fire from the community but also under corporate pressure, which is almost impossible to meet.
Paul Tassi said in a YouTube video that the game "needed to be in the top five of…NPD sales for the year if it's going to be a success or considered a success.” When a year brings blockbusters like GTA 6, Borderlands 4, Monster Hunter Wilds, and Call of Duty, setting that goal feels delusional at best.
Sony paid $3.6 billion for Bungie, betting big on the studio to lead its live-service expansion. That investment came with strings attached. If Bungie fails to deliver results, Sony reportedly gains more control over the studio’s operations, and layoffs are expected if the numbers don’t hit.
Given Marathon’s current reception, many believe that moment is fast approaching. There’s also been skepticism surrounding the game’s core idea. The blend of hero shooter skills and extraction risk-reward in Marathon has put off both casual and hardcore gamers.
It doesn’t offer the usual customization of extraction shooters, nor the finely tuned balance expected from PvP titles. With the price reportedly at $40, players might end up paying for something that feels half-done. Even during its Alpha, Marathon struggled.
Twitch viewership plummeted from 150,000 on day one to just a few thousand within days. At the same time, Arc Raiders, a genre peer, gathered more momentum and better reception despite being developed by a less established studio.
Honestly, this all feels very preventable, Bungie could have played it safe by making a Doom-style reboot of the original Marathon. Instead, leadership reportedly pivoted mid-development, chasing trends and gutting the project’s potential in the process.
What’s left is a game with four maps, a handful of characters, and a battered reputation—not exactly a recipe for a chart-topping hit. Right now, a delay seems like the only realistic option, but even that may not be enough.
The game’s reputation has been severely damaged, and its identity crisis—between being a hero shooter, an extraction game, and a live service platform—has yet to be resolved.
The best-case scenario is Bungie weathering the crisis, starting fresh, and rescuing Marathon by making real changes. The more likely one? It launches as planned, fails to capture a meaningful audience, and Sony steps in with the consequences.
In either case, the writing’s on the wall: Marathon is running out of road.