Marathon: Bungie’s Ambitious Return to a Sci‑Fi Online Shooter
Insider chatter points to Bungie quietly advancing a new chapter in Marathon, the studio’s long‑gestating project. Early descriptions hint at a tension between methodical looting and relentless extraction, echoing what players see in titles like Escape from Tarkov and The Division when teams coordinate for a high‑stakes mission. The gist is clear: a three‑player squad must secure valuable loot and push through danger to evacuate a hostile environment, all while managing resources and staying alive.
The setting centers on a faraway world that once housed a vanished human settlement. In this universe, human survivors have begun using discreetly enhanced operatives known as Runners. These cyborg troubleshooters are tasked with safely gathering prey, navigating treacherous terrain, and surviving encounters with hostile forces.
The core loop leans on solitary mission design, careful gear selection, and thorough map exploration. Players should expect a cadence of seasonal content, a progression system, and other features typically tied to ongoing online services.
Industry sources describe the project as being in a pre‑alpha phase, with plans for an official reveal likely tied to the crowded online shooter landscape. The sense is that Bungie intends to make a bold statement when the time is right, leveraging the momentum of a competitive market.
Marathon traces its origins to a game released by Bungie in the mid‑1990s. The original spawned sequels and a lasting legacy in PC gaming culture. Recent chatter in the sector points to a wave of new announcements as studios position their 2025 lineups, with Atomic Heart from Mundfish among those drawing attention for its own release timeline.
Source: VG Times