Today, Bungie shared a look at the gameplay for Marathon, their upcoming extraction shooter that is very loosely related to the older Marathon titles. Bungie not only shared a look at Marathon's gameplay, but also revealed a release date of September 23, 2025, word about an upcoming closed alpha, and bits of lore.
A closed alpha will begin on April 23rd. Those looking for an invite link to the closed alpha will have to join the Marathon Discord. Once you are finally in the Discord server, there will be information in the "marathon-news" channel there that explains what needs to be done to sign up for the closed alpha.
For now, it seems as though only those who are over 18 and located in North America will be able to play the upcoming alpha test.
Bungie notes that the Discord will also have several developers holding live Q&As over time. In addition, the team will be able to take in player feedback for the game through Discord.
The upcoming test will include access four of the planned six classes that will be available in the full game. The full game will also ship with three maps, with a fourth map planned to arrive shortly after launch. The size of these maps was not shared. It was also not shared just how many players or teams will participate in matches.
According to various interviews, Bungie plans to have four seasons in a year. They say, "every three months, we are planning to do a wipe between every season, and part of the reason behind that is we want every season to feel like its own unique journey."
Below are two embeds (assuming no YouTube age gate). One is a quick gameplay trailer and the other is a gameplay overview trailer.
The World of Marathon
In Marathon, players inhabit a Runner, a cybernetic mercenary scouring the remains of a lost colony of Tau Ceti IV for fortune and power. Players team up in crews of three as they battle rival Runner teams and hostile security forces for weapons and upgrades. Survive and everything they’ve scavenged is theirs to keep for future runs on Tau Ceti IV—or if they’re brave enough, a journey to the derelict Marathon ship that hangs above.
Tau Ceti IV
Welcome to Tau Ceti IV, a lost colony whose inhabitants disappeared without a trace. Rival factions compete for the resources left behind, hiring Runners who’ve given up their human form for biosynthetic shells. Death is but a hurdle in this cutthroat competition where power, fortune, and answers to Tau Ceti IV’s mysteries hang in the balance.
Become a Runner
Choose from a roster of cybernetic mercenaries with unique abilities. Players customize their Runner’s playstyle with the weapons, implants, and equipment they collect on their runs. Strategize, execute, and become Tau Ceti’s most feared mercenary.
A High-Stakes Journey to Grow in Power
Bungie’s best-in-class FPS gunplay sets the stage for a unique mix of tactical and fast-paced action, where every run is a tense competition for a big score. End game challenges, ranked play, seasonal storytelling, community events, and more await in Season 1.
In Marathon, players inhabit a Runner, a cybernetic mercenary scouring the remains of a lost colony of Tau Ceti IV for fortune and power. Players team up in crews of three as they battle rival Runner teams and hostile security forces for weapons and upgrades. Survive and everything they’ve scavenged is theirs to keep for future runs on Tau Ceti IV—or if they’re brave enough, a journey to the derelict Marathon ship that hangs above.
Tau Ceti IV
Welcome to Tau Ceti IV, a lost colony whose inhabitants disappeared without a trace. Rival factions compete for the resources left behind, hiring Runners who’ve given up their human form for biosynthetic shells. Death is but a hurdle in this cutthroat competition where power, fortune, and answers to Tau Ceti IV’s mysteries hang in the balance.
Become a Runner
Choose from a roster of cybernetic mercenaries with unique abilities. Players customize their Runner’s playstyle with the weapons, implants, and equipment they collect on their runs. Strategize, execute, and become Tau Ceti’s most feared mercenary.
A High-Stakes Journey to Grow in Power
Bungie’s best-in-class FPS gunplay sets the stage for a unique mix of tactical and fast-paced action, where every run is a tense competition for a big score. End game challenges, ranked play, seasonal storytelling, community events, and more await in Season 1.
The kicker here is that Marathon is going to launch as a "premium" product, although Bungie said it will not be a "full-priced title." Exactly what "premium" means remains to be seen, as Bungie will reveal more at a later time. Based on what I experienced and was told, it'll have a battle pass, three maps (with a fourth arriving shortly after launch); fun but no-frills gameplay; a story that currently is all very vague in its nature and unclear in its implementation; and a character-progression system that doesn't yet show signs of offering a meaningful sense of growth.
After today's reveal, Bungie was quick to state that Marathon will not be a full-priced title. They go on to say that they will announce pricing details this summer. According to further comments from Paul Tassi from Forbes, the price of Marathon is "not even close" to $70.
The last couple of live-service multiplayer titles published by Sony were $40. This includes Helldivers 2 which ended up being a huge success. Concord was also priced at $40 before it was pulled from sale and the developer shutdown. if Marathon also goes the $40 route, it's anybody's guess on if it will be a success or not.
Bungie also offered a new cinematic short for fans. This cinematic aired at the end of today's reveal livestream. It shows off a cryptic story and lore that comes across as very much the complete opposite of the gameplay that aired. It's almost as if the cinematic was for some version of Marathon that was a co-op, PvE, story-rich experience and not for what it actually is: a multiplayer extraction shooter.
