Marathon was Bungie's next major gamble, but it's now close to falling apart. While originally scheduled to launch in September, several recent developments suggest the game might not make it out this year at all.
Insider Colin Moriarty reports (shoutout to TheGamePost for spotting this) that Sony has stopped all paid marketing for the game, which is rare for a project this big. The withdrawal casts major doubt on whether the current release date is still realistic.
"I was told by someone familiar with marketing plans in a key overseas market that there are now no plans to do paid marketing for Marathon at all," Moriarty said on his podcast.
"I don't know if those plans were affected by what has recently happened or if that was always the plan or whatever. But it is considered a fairly unusual move for a game of this high profile."
Why Is Marathon’s September Launch Now in Question?
Development hasn't been smooth sailing either. Sources familiar with Bungie say the studio is in crisis. Signs of poor morale, ignored input, and disagreements over creativity have been going around for months. The devs say higher-ups pushed strongly for a PvP-only format, even though early signs suggested it might turn players away.
Closed alpha testing confirmed these concerns as players found the gameplay loop unfinished and lacking direction. Others felt like they were playing a rough draft rather than a nearly finished game. The backlash followed after independent artist ANTIREAL accused Bungie of using her art without consent, which Bungie later confirmed.
This wasn't Bungie's first plagiarism controversy, and the timing only made the public more suspicious. Behind the scenes, things could be more complicated. Reports say Bungie’s September deadline is more about cash flow tied to Sony’s takeover than the game being finished. It's said that some bonus payments or milestones hinge on hitting this deadline.
How Is Sony’s Involvement Impacting Marathon’s Marketing and Support?
If it's true, that might be why Bungie is hurrying Marathon's release despite obvious issues. However, Sony seems to be pulling out. With the recent failures of other live-service titles under its umbrella (Fairgame$, Concord), the company appears hesitant to give more support to another shaky project.
It's not only a Marathon issue but part of a bigger pattern. Successful games like Helldivers 2 are treated more as anomalies than typical examples. At the moment, neither Bungie nor Sony has confirmed any delay.
But when marketing gets scrapped, fan sentiment nosedives and the team is scrambling to fix core problems; it's hard to imagine Marathon launching on time—or launching well.
The delay appears likely, though if it buys Bungie time to fix the game or just stretches the inevitable, it is hard to say.
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