Bungie is gearing up to unveil more about its highly anticipated PvP extraction shooter, Marathon, with an exciting gameplay livestream scheduled for this Saturday, April 12 (or April 13, depending on your time zone). Last week, the Destiny developer piqued fans' curiosity with a cryptic tweet featuring a peculiar 15-second video, sparking an "extensive alternative reality game" that set the community abuzz with speculation and sleuthing.
Eagle-eyed players quickly discovered that hidden within the ASCII art was a snippet of footage from the initial trailer, specifically capturing the runner sprinting down a hall. Another clue emerged with the message: "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." This sparked a global effort among thousands of community members, culminating in the unlocking of the gameplay reveal date for Marathon.
Bungie confirmed that the livestream will take place 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, or Sunday, April 13 at 2 am JST (Tokyo) / 3 am AEST (Sydney) / 5 am NZST (Auckland).
Marathon was first revealed in May 2023 as a reboot of the classic Bungie franchise, promising an immersive experience filled with "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 withstand the planet's harsh conditions. As they navigate the remnants of a lost colony, players will hunt for valuable loot, including new weapons and gear.
Since its initial announcement, updates have been sparse, though a development video in October shed light on Marathon's mechanics. However, the studio emphasized that the game was still in its early stages of development. Amidst these updates, Sony's decision to scale back its live-service game ambitions following the cancellation of Concord has shifted the landscape. In November 2023, Sony president Hiroki Totoki announced the company's commitment to launching only six of the 12 planned live-service games by March 2026, signaling the end of projects like The Last of Us multiplayer game.
Bungie has faced its own set of challenges, including significant layoffs. In July 2024, the company laid off 220 staff members, representing 17% of its workforce, following 100 layoffs less than a year earlier. Additionally, former Marathon director Chris Barrett was reportedly fired after an internal misconduct investigation, 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.
