Bungie delays Marathon after alpha test feedback

Bungie announced Tuesday that it’s delaying Marathon, its new extraction shooter that had been set for a September 23rd release date. The studio isn’t providing a new release date just yet, though has promised to share it sometime this fall.

The studio outlined a few “immediate focus areas” for the game. It plans to make AI encounters “more challenging and engaging” and make combat “more tense and strategic.” It’s “doubling down on the Marathon Universe” by increasing “visual fidelity,” including “more narrative and environmental storytelling,” and will introduce a “darker tone that delivers on the themes of the original trilogy.” (Bungie may also be making these visual changes after an artist said the company lifted her artwork without permission.) And it plans to add “more social experiences,” including proximity chat and improving things for solo and duo players.

“We’re using this time to empower the team to create the intense, high-stakes experience that a title like Marathon is built around,” according to the post. “This means deepening the relationship between the developers and the game’s most important voices: our players.”

Bungie hosted tests for Marathon earlier this year, and reviews were generally mid. With this delay, we’ll see if Bungie can improve the game so that it doesn’t turn into another big live-service misstep for Sony.