From our first official look at Bungie’s latest first-person extraction shooter, Marathon, a sense of trust was instilled in the project. Shooters are a tricky genre to master, and for this next installment in the 1994 series, the visuals and gameplay design looked to nail the neo-futuristic look, appealing to the player-versus-player audiences. While this was the start of Bungie’s next phase after working on the Destiny franchise for over a decade, this Marathon run is taking a turn for the worse. As controversy spreads across the internet, Bungie is now under fire regarding the recent accusations from former employees, with many calling for the extraction shooter to be delayed.
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Marathon was revealed in May 2023 during a PlayStation Showcase, which was met with a positive response from viewers. The project went silent after Bungie let go of 17% of its workforce due to restructuring. Until recently, cryptic posters began to make their way through social media, with Marathon rising back from the ashes in a gameplay livestream in April. However, the April beta test received lukewarm reception from players, leaving many on the fence about Marathon‘s success. To add more fuel to the flame, Antireal, a former Bungie artist, took to social media to expose the gaming company for art theft, following a recent alpha playtest which features unaltered versions of their previous designs.
RELATED: Bungie Responds to Marathon Art Theft Accusation
Fans are rightly disappointed, with many expressing their frustrations on social media. One X (formerly known as Twitter) user Pwnstar addressed their concern.
“A Marathon delay is unlikely, and even if it did happen, it would not be enough,” they said. “They need major changes to the appeal and flow of the game, and lack any significant way to separate them from other games in the genre. They need that special something. Years of work are needed.”
With the allegations already in the limelight, Bungie held a Marathon stream that was initially supposed to have gameplay, but changed it due to the controversy. While it can be assumed that this is because Antireal’s work is still in the game, the overall presentation was lackluster, with many even calling for Marathon to be canceled or at least delayed. X user ThePatriot117 similarly posted about the incident.
“Tuned in for about 30 seconds into that Marathon stream and I just gotta say, delay the game man,” they said. “The alpha was fun, but got overshadowed quickly. I feel the game needs more time to cook to land right, and clearly, a lot needs to be done to recover from the negative sentiment.”
With many extraction shooter fans turning away from Marathon, the controversy surrounding Bungie’s upcoming game has done more harm than good. While Bungie has addressed the art theft allegations by starting to conduct a “thorough review” of Marathon assets, the people’s interest is likely set on delaying the premium paid game rather than having it stick to its September release.
Marathon is expected to be released on September 23, 2025, on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.
