Bungie to Unveil Marathon Gameplay in Upcoming Livestream

Bungie is gearing up to unveil more about its eagerly awaited PvP extraction shooter, Marathon, with an exciting gameplay livestream scheduled for this Saturday, April 12 (or April 13, depending on your location).

The buzz started last week when the Destiny developer posted a cryptic tweet featuring a 15-second video that sparked a frenzy of sleuthing among fans as part of an "extensive alternative reality game." Enthusiasts discovered that the ASCII art in the video contained "a snippet of footage from the initial trailer," specifically showing "the runner sprinting down a hall from the trailer."

Another intriguing message surfaced: "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."

Bungie praised the community's efforts, stating, "Thousands of community members across the world worked together to unlock the gameplay reveal date for Bungie’s upcoming extraction shooter Marathon." The livestream is set to 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) or Sunday, April 13 at 2 am JST (Tokyo) / 3 am AEST (Sydney) / 5 pm NZST (Auckland).

Originally announced in May 2023, Marathon is a reboot of the classic Bungie franchise that embraces themes of "mysteries, eeriness, and psychological creepiness." The game is set on the enigmatic planet of Tau Ceti IV, where players take on the roles of Runners—cybernetic mercenaries engineered to withstand the planet’s harsh conditions. As they explore the remnants of a lost colony, players will hunt for valuable loot, including new weapons and gear.

Since the initial reveal, details have been sparse. A development update video in October provided some insight into Marathon's mechanics, though Bungie emphasized that the game was still in its early stages.

Meanwhile, Sony has been reevaluating its approach to live-service games following the abrupt cancellation of Concord. In November 2023, Sony president Hiroki Totoki announced the company's commitment to launching only six of the 12 live-service games planned by March 2026, which also led to the cancellation of The Last of Us multiplayer game.

Bungie itself has faced its share of challenges. In July 2024, the company laid off 220 staff members, representing 17% of its workforce, following another round of 100 layoffs less than a year prior. Additionally, former Marathon director Chris Barrett was allegedly fired after an internal misconduct investigation, prompting him to sue Sony Interactive Entertainment and Bungie for over $200 million.

To catch the Marathon gameplay reveal live, tune into the official Marathon Twitch channel on April 12.