Bungie to Unveil Marathon Gameplay in Upcoming Livestream

Bungie is set to unveil more details about its eagerly awaited PvP extraction shooter, Marathon, through an exciting gameplay livestream scheduled for this Saturday, April 12 (or Sunday, April 13, depending on your location).

Last week, the Destiny developer piqued fans' curiosity with a cryptic tweet featuring a 15-second video that sparked an intense "alternative reality game" among the community. Fans quickly discovered that the ASCII art within the video contained "a snippet of footage from the initial trailer," specifically showing "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 stated, announcing that the livestream will take place at 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, embracing themes of "mysteries, eeriness, and psychological creepiness." Set on the mysterious planet of Tau Ceti IV, players will assume the roles of Runners, cybernetic mercenaries adapted to survive the planet’s harsh conditions. The game will involve exploring a lost colony on the surface in search of valuable loot, including new weapons and gear.

Since the initial reveal, updates have been scarce. An October development video provided insights into Marathon's mechanics, but emphasized the game's early stage of development.

In the meantime, Sony's strategic shift away from live-service games, prompted by the cancellation of Concord, has seen Sony president Hiroki Totoki announce in November 2023 that the company plans to launch only six of the 12 live service games it had been developing by March 2026. This shift led to the cancellation of The Last of Us multiplayer game.

Bungie has faced its own set of challenges. In July 2024, the company laid off 220 staff members—17% of its workforce—following 100 other layoffs at Bungie less than a year prior. Additionally, former Marathon director Chris Barrett was allegedly fired after an internal misconduct investigation, leading to Barrett subsequently suing Sony Interactive Entertainment and Bungie for over $200 million.

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