Sony’s Confidence In Marathon Is What AAA Gaming Needs Right Now

The current state of the gaming industry has been tricky, especially when it comes to game development. Massive companies and indie creators alike have struggled to remain relevant in a constantly evolving space, with plenty of ambitious titles ending up in the dustbin of history. Some of the most disheartening ones are the ones that never even got the chance to reach their full potential before they had the rug pulled out from beneath them.

Luckily, it doesn’t seem like Marathon will suffer that fate. Bungie and Sony’s ambitious take on the extraction shooter hasn’t reached the full expectations either company had for it, but Sony has confirmed that it’s going to continue to support the game rather than simply cut its losses. It’s a good move on the company’s part that could end up paying a lot of dividends in the long run. In fact, a truly successful long-term launch for Marathon could impact the future of AAA gaming as a whole.

Sony Sticking By Marathon Should Give Fans Confidence

The modern era of live-shooters has produced some genuinely massive hits — and some very infamous flops. Sony has a lot of experience with the latter, unfortunately, especially in light of Concord. That was one of the worst-case scenarios for the company with Marathon, Bungie’s high-profile return to their original series. The PVP extraction shooter has underperformed to a certain degree, according to statements made by Sony CFO Lin Tao during a company earnings call. Acknowledging that between Marathon‘s opening and frustration from Destiny 2 fans over recent updates, Bungie’s portfolio of games “did not reach our expectations,” Tao also made it clear that Sony wasn’t just going to pull the plug. Unlike with Concord, which only lasted 12 days before Sony shut down the game servers, Marathon has been afforded a bit more time and support to continue improving the game.

While the overall playerbase on platforms on Steam hasn’t reached the heights the company was hoping for (and plenty of gamers who don’t like Bungie have been thrilled to talk up those stumbles), Tao notes that reviews have been strong from both average players and media critics. The game also has strong player retention, suggesting that the people playing Marathon aren’t just testing the waters but staying for an extended time. This gives the team at Bungie plenty to work with as they work to improve the game, along with the confidence that the publisher is behind them and that fans are getting behind the experience. With any luck, the extended development can turn the first few seasons of the game into an increasingly successful space, which could help Marathon make up for those lacking numbers at launch. It’s a risk by Sony, but one that’s commendable for what it means in an industry that has felt increasingly trigger-happy with taking down promising studios and is instead giving Bungie the time to make the best possible game.

Sony’s Investment In Marathon Needs Time To Truly Pay Off

The problem with a lot of live-service games is that, without time to really generate a player base big enough to support it, these games need a lot of initial investment. They can be hard to turn into natural hits, especially when the rest of the industry is competing for the same player base. Titles like Fortnite and Marvel Rivals pick up steam over time as they climb the charts and attract more players while refining their gameplay and improving the experience. That was something that games like Concord and Highguard didn’t get the opportunity to have.

Sony giving Bungie time to cook with Marathon is a promising development. It means the company of talented creatives won’t be shut down or split up into parts, a somber fate that has befallen plenty of development companies in recent years. It means the current players can have confidence that the confirmed roadmap is going to continue to develop — and that players initially anxious about signing onto a new big game can have confidence that it won’t just be pulled offline in a month’s time. Even for gamers who don’t play Marathon, this is a promising development.

If Sony’s investment in Bungie pays off, then it helps prove to the biggest publishers in the industry that actively supporting a title can transform it into a bigger hit. This could help keep other developers operating, give titles more time to figure out their sea legs, and afford players additional time with new potential favorites. Simply calling out it quits on a game because it had a tricky start is frustrating, especially in an era where games can become something very different through active development and growth. Sony’s backing of Marathon will hopefully pay off and help make a case for larger companies to support developers instead of just running at the first sign of trouble.