Bungie, the renowned developer behind Destiny, is gearing up to unveil more details about their highly anticipated PvP extraction shooter, Marathon. Fans won't have to wait long, as Bungie has scheduled an exciting gameplay livestream for this Saturday, April 12, or Sunday, April 13, depending on your global location.
The excitement began last week when Bungie 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."
Another intriguing message emerged: "WHEN WILL HE RETURN ERROR ERROR ERROR HAS OCCURRED THE ENEMY RETURNED SYSTEM WARNING: PROTOCOL BREACH EVACUATE THE BASE IMMEDIATELY ALL UNITS REPORT TO STATION INITIATE EMERGENCY PROTOCOL 7 DATA LOSS IMMINENT GOOD LUCK, COMMANDER."Thanks to the collaborative efforts of "thousands of community members across the world," the gameplay reveal date for Marathon was unlocked. Bungie announced that the livestream will take place on Saturday, April 12, 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, first revealed in May 2023, is a reboot of the classic Bungie franchise that promises to delve into themes of "mysteries, eeriness, and psychological creepiness." Set on the enigmatic planet of Tau Ceti IV, players will embody Runners, cybernetic mercenaries engineered to withstand 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, with a development video in October providing insight into Marathon's mechanics. However, the studio emphasized the game's early development stage.
Meanwhile, Sony has been reevaluating its approach to live-service games following the abrupt cancellation of Concord. In November 2023, Sony president Hiroki Totoki announced that the company would focus on launching only six of the 12 planned live-service games by March 2026, a decision that 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, representing 17% of its workforce, less than a year after another round of 100 layoffs. Additionally, former Marathon director Chris Barrett was allegedly fired following an internal misconduct investigation, and he subsequently filed a lawsuit against Sony Interactive Entertainment and Bungie, seeking over $200 million.
To catch the Marathon reveal live, tune in to the official Marathon Twitch channel on April 12.
