Release Date Of Bungie's Team-Based Extraction Shooter Marathon Announced With A New Gameplay Trailer

Bungie has officially revealed the release date for its upcoming team-based extraction shooter, Marathon, in the new gameplay overview trailer: 

The game is set in Tau Ceti IV, a once-thriving colony that has now turned into a battleground for power and fortune. You can go solo or team up with up to two other players to form a crew.

"Choose your Runner, cybernetic mercenaries with unique abilities, as you battle rival teams & security forces for weapons & upgrades. Fill your vault, take on high-stakes challenges, & unravel the colony’s mysteries," reads the game's description. "Our goal is ultimately to make a game that all of you feel like is worth spending your time," said Game Director Joe Ziegler.

It's been two years and a half since we learned about the existence of the newest installment in the Marathon franchise via industry insider Tom Henderson back in 2022. The then-in-the-alpha stage title was officially announced in May of 2023, and as the development progressed, its rumored $40 price tag was revealed last year via Forbes' sources, which is the same as Concord, who suffered a harsh failure. 

However, this might not be the final cost yet, as when responding to Wario64's Twitter post that cites information stating that "players will be asked to pay full price," the official Marathon account denied the claim, saying that more information would be provided later in the summer. 

Earlier, it was said that Bungine wanted to make it the "ultimate live service" and introduced minimal load times. There may be three maps containing secrets that players can uncover to enhance replayability. 

Marathon will be available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC via Steam, and cross-play and cross-save will be fully supported on all platforms. Before its September 23 release date, the game will conduct a closed playtest, which will start from April 23. If you're interested in joining, feel free to be a member of the Discord channel first to learn more about how to apply for it. 

If you're interested in learning more about its gameplay mechanics, the backstory behind the name Marathon, the inspiration behind its art style, and if you are an owner of PS 5, the game's usage of PlayStation 5's technology, check out the interview with developers. 

Along with the new gameplay reveal, it was also confirmed that Marathon would not feature proximity chat, and Bungie's explanation for that decision raised eyebrows for some fans.