Marathon

Marathon
Early key art
Developer	Bungie
Publisher	Bungie
Producer	Scott Taylor
Director	Joseph Ziegler
Artist	Joseph Cross
Series	Marathon
Engine	Tiger
Platforms	PlayStation 5 PC Xbox Series X/S
Release	2025
Genre(s)	Tactical shooter
Mode(s)	Multiplayer

Marathon is an upcoming 2025 multiplayer-only tactical shooter developed and published by Bungie for the PlayStation 5, PC, and Xbox Series X and S. It is a revival of Bungie's Marathon franchise.

While Marathon shares continuity and setting with Bungie's original trilogy, the game is standalone and focuses on cybernetic mercenaries called Runners as they scavenge and loot the lands of Tau Ceti IV, an abandoned colony whose entire population disappeared. Unlike its predecessor which featured single-player campaigns, Marathon is a multiplayer-only extraction shooter in which players assume the roles of Runners as they battle alone or in teams of three.

For the aesthetics of the game, Bungie defined a visual style described as "graphic realism", and was influenced by various works of fictions ranging from film to other video games. Rumors and speculation regarding Bungie's intention to continue the Marathon property circulated since 2012, during the developer's partnership with Activision on Destiny. Details of a Marathon revival were leaked a decade later in 2022, and the project was announced in May 2023.

Gameplay

Marathon is a player versus player extraction shooter, in which players take the roles of Runners, cybernetic mercenaries that explore the planet of Tau Ceti IV for riches and glory; the game won't have a single-player campaign. Players can participate in the game by themselves or in teams of three. The game will feature full cross-play and cross-save between all platforms.

Premise

Marathon takes place in the same universe as Bungie's original trilogy, but is not a direct sequel or follow-up. The game is set on Tau Ceti IV, a lost colony whose 30 thousand residents suddenly disappeared, and since then has become a battle ground for cybernetic mercenaries called Runners to compete against one another for resources and reputation.

Development

Marathon is developed and to be published by Bungie for the PlayStation 5, personal computers and Xbox Series X and S; it will be the first standalone game released by Bungie since its acquisition by Sony Interactive Entertainment in 2022, as well as its first standalone release since 2017's Destiny 2, and the studio's first non-Destiny project since 2010's Halo: Reach.

Development began in 2019. Marathon was originally headed by game director Christopher Barrett. In March 2024, it was reported that Barrett was replaced with Joseph Ziegler, the game director of Riot Games' online first-person shooter title Valorant (2020), who left Riot and joined Bungie in December 2022. Ziegler later confirmed his appointment as Marathon's game director on Twitter, having started his work on the game in June 2023. According to Bloomberg's Jason Schreier, Barrett was reportedly fired from Bungie in March 2024 following an internal investigation to misconduct allegations brought up by several female employees. Members of the Marathon development team were not informed over the reasons behind Barrett's termination at the time.

In June 2024, Bungie cancelled one of its projects, a Destiny spin-off codenamed Payback, to prioritize the development of Marathon. The majority of the project's team was moved to work on Marathon.

Art and animation

Art director Joseph Cross described the game's visual style as "graphic realism", combining a simplified design language and strong graphic design and colors with realistic body proportions and details as well as a grounded setting. Cross cited multiple different works that served as an inspiration for the team's artistic ambitions, including the works of Katsuhiro Otomo, Chris Cunningham, The Designers Republic and Koji Morimoto, films such as Ghost in the Shell, shows such as Æon Flux, and video games such as Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, Wipeout, Mirro's Edge and the original Marathon trilogy, as well as more modern releases such as The Last of Us, God of War and Death Stranding.

Release

In October 2022, it was reported that Bungie was working on a revival of the Marathon series, as an extraction shooter. Marathon was officially announced at Sony's PlayStation Showcase seven months later in May 2023. In October 2023, Bloomberg reported that Marathon was originally a 2024 release, but was internally delayed to 2025.