Bungie to Reveal Marathon Gameplay in Upcoming Livestream

Bungie is set to unveil more details about its highly anticipated PvP extraction shooter, Marathon, through an exciting gameplay livestream scheduled for this Saturday, April 12 (or April 13, depending on your global location). The excitement around this reveal was sparked last week when the Destiny developer shared a cryptic tweet featuring a 15-second video, triggering an "extensive alternative reality game" that mobilized fans worldwide to decipher its hidden messages.

Astute players quickly identified an ASCII art snippet from the initial trailer within the video, specifically noting "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." This collaborative effort by thousands of community members successfully unlocked the date for the gameplay reveal.

The livestream is scheduled for 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).

Marathon was first revealed in May 2023 as a reboot of the classic Bungie franchise, embracing themes of "mysteries, eeriness, and psychological creepiness." The game is set on the enigmatic planet of Tau Ceti IV, where players will embody Runners, cybernetic mercenaries engineered to endure 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 its initial reveal, updates have been sparse, with a development video in October providing insights into Marathon's mechanics, though the studio emphasized the game's early development stage. Amidst these developments, Sony's strategy regarding live-service games has shifted following the abrupt cancellation of Concord. In November 2023, Sony president Hiroki Totoki announced a reduction in focus, committing to launch only six out of the twelve planned live service games by March 2026, leading to the cancellation of The Last of Us multiplayer game.

Bungie has faced its own challenges, including significant layoffs. In July 2024, the company laid off 220 staff members, representing 17% of its workforce, less than a year after 100 other layoffs. Additionally, former Marathon director Chris Barrett was allegedly fired following 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.