Bungie has finally offered an exciting update on their upcoming extraction shooter, Marathon, following a four-month delay. Later this month, the developer is kicking off a series of closed beta playtests, inviting players across North America and Europe on PS5, PC, and Xbox Series S/X to participate. Bungie views these playtests as a crucial milestone to evaluate the significant improvements made since Marathon’s initial closed Alpha phase.
Marathon Playtests Are Back!
The Sony-owned studio confirmed that closed Marathon playtests have been ongoing since June to collect vital player feedback. Now, Bungie is expanding these efforts with a closed technical test scheduled from October 22 to October 28. These exclusive, invite-only playtests are open to players in North America and Europe. Interested individuals can submit their applications directly on Bungie’s official website.
In their playtest announcement, Bungie stated, “This is an important checkpoint for us as we test our improvements since Alpha, including three maps, five runner shells, prox chat, re-tuned combat pacing, solo queue, deeper environmental storytelling, and more.” They also emphasized that “the Technical Test build is a work in progress and will only include a portion of what’s planned for Marathon’s full release, focused on the early player experience.”
This news follows previous announcements, including Bungie CEO Pete Parsons stepping down amidst a studio restructuring.
Prospective players eligible for the closed technical test have until October 16 at 4 PM (PT) to complete their application. Participants will be bound by a non-disclosure agreement, meaning they cannot publicly share their experiences or impressions from the event.
However, Bungie has committed to providing a public update on Marathon’s development in the months following the conclusion of these playtests.
Marathon still awaits an official release date.
Photo Credit: Sony/ Bungie
Why Was Marathon Delayed?
Marathon was originally slated for a September 23 launch across PC, PS5, and Xbox Series S/X. However, Bungie postponed the extraction shooter indefinitely following a lukewarm response to its alpha playtests in May and a plagiarism controversy that raised concerns about the originality of the game’s art style.
This delay was previously announced, with Bungie stating they would reveal a new release date in the Fall.
A development update in June confirmed that Bungie decided to delay Marathon’s release after analyzing player feedback from the initial alpha playtests.
The studio acknowledged, “We’ve taken this to heart, and we know we need more time to craft Marathon into the game that truly reflects your passion. After much discussion within our Dev team, we’ve made the decision to delay the September 23rd release.”
Bungie also committed to conducting additional closed playtests and introducing new features, such as revamped AI enemy encounters, enhanced narrative and environmental storytelling, and improved visual fidelity.
The developer previously stated, “You’ll hear from us again later this Fall when we can share the progress we’ve made, alongside the game’s new release date.”
As of now, Marathon still lacks a definitive new release date. Further updates on this are anticipated after the upcoming closed technical playtest concludes later this month.
In August, Bungie announced that its CEO, Pete Parsons, would be stepping down. Parsons, who was instrumental in the studio’s journey through Destiny 2’s releases, its acquisition by Sony, and various restructuring efforts, expressed that it was time for a “new beginning.” Justin Truman was confirmed as the new head of the studio.
Truman previously assured fans that the team was “hard at work” on both Marathon and Destiny, with more updates for both titles expected later in 2025.