Today, during the PlayStation Showcase, Bungie revealed its next game: Marathon. It is the developer’s first completely new project in over a decade, following the success of the Halo and Destiny franchises. According to Bungie, Marathon is a sci-fi PvP extraction shooter where players will engage one another as cybernetic mercenaries known as Runners. The game, Marathon, takes place on the planet of Tau Ceti IV and the game is currently in development for PlayStation 5 and PC, featuring full cross-play and cross-save support.
Now, if you have followed Bungie throughout its history, the Marathon name might not be new to you. The original Marathon game released in 1994 and resulted in a trilogy, but game director Christopher Barrett confirmed this new Marathon isn’t a direct sequel to the originals. It will, however, belong in the same universe and will have nods to the universe’s lore. “It’s our aim to create something incredible both for players who are completely new to the Marathon world and for those that have been waiting years for more stories in the Marathon universe,” he said. “You don’t need to know anything about Marathon to understand or play this game, but if you do, we’re making the experience with references and deep cuts you’ll recognize.”
The game will focus on player-based storytelling. Barrett elaborated on Bungie’s design philosophy, emphasizing that the story of the world will evolve based on the players’ choices and actions. The game is designed from the start as a PvP-focused game, and unlike Halo and Destiny, it will not have a single-player campaign. Players’ actions will also shape the world; for example, a crew might discover a previously undiscovered artifact that, when activated, opens a new area of the map for all players to explore.
It appears that the release of Marathon may still be some time away. Marathon general manager Scott Taylor confirmed there’s still “a lot of work to do before launch or even before we’re ready to talk about the game in more detail.” He also added that the next time gamers hear from Bungie about Marathon, the team will be able to show gameplay and it will be much closer to launch.
