Bungie to Unveil Marathon Gameplay in Upcoming Livestream

Bungie is gearing up to unveil more details about its highly anticipated PvP extraction shooter, Marathon, through an exciting gameplay livestream scheduled for this Saturday, April 12 (or Sunday, April 13, depending on your global location). This event marks a significant milestone for fans eagerly awaiting further insights into the game.

The excitement began last week when Bungie, the renowned developer behind Destiny, posted a cryptic tweet featuring a 15-second video that sparked an intense community sleuthing effort as part of an "extensive alternative reality game." Enthusiasts quickly discovered that the ASCII art in the video contained "a snippet of footage from the initial trailer," specifically showing "the runner sprinting down a hall from the trailer."

Bungie acknowledged the community's efforts, stating, "Thousands of community members across the world worked together to unlock the gameplay reveal date for Bungie’s upcoming extraction shooter Marathon." The livestream is set to commence at 10 am PDT (San Francisco) / 1 pm EDT (New York) / 6 pm BST (London) / 7 pm CEST (Berlin/Paris) / 9 pm GST (Dubai) on Saturday, April 12, and at 2 am JST (Tokyo) / 3 am AEST (Sydney) / 5 pm NZST (Auckland) on Sunday, April 13.

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 enigmatic planet of Tau Ceti IV, players will assume the roles of 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 its initial reveal, updates have been sparse. A development update video in October shed light on Marathon's mechanics, but the studio emphasized the game's early development stage. Amidst these developments, Sony, following the abrupt cancellation of the live-service shooter Concord, has been reevaluating its focus on live-service games. In November 2023, Sony president Hiroki Totoki announced the company's commitment to launching just six of the 12 live service games it was working on by March 2026, signaling the cancellation of projects like The Last of Us multiplayer game.

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

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