Bungie to Reveal Marathon Gameplay in Upcoming Livestream

Bungie is gearing up to unveil more details about its highly anticipated PvP extraction shooter, Marathon, with an exciting gameplay livestream scheduled for this Saturday, April 12 (or Sunday, April 13, depending on your location). The excitement began last week when the Destiny developer posted a cryptic tweet featuring a 15-second video that sparked an intense "alternative reality game" among fans, who eagerly began piecing together clues.

Within the ASCII art of the video, players discovered "a snippet of footage from the initial trailer," specifically showing "the runner sprinting down a hall from the trailer." The community's sleuthing efforts were further fueled by another message: "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."

"Thousands of community members across the world worked together to unlock the gameplay reveal date for Bungie’s upcoming extraction shooter Marathon," Bungie acknowledged in a statement. The much-anticipated livestream is set for 10 am PDT (San Francisco) / 1 pm EDT (New York) / 6 pm BST (London) / 7 pm CEST (Berlin/Paris) / 9 pm GST (Dubai) on Saturday, April 12, or Sunday, April 13 at 2 am JST (Tokyo) / 3 am AEST (Sydney) / 5 pm NZST (Auckland).

Marathon was revealed in May 2023 as a reboot of the classic Bungie franchise, infused with themes of "mysteries, eeriness, and psychological creepiness." Set on the enigmatic planet of Tau Ceti IV, players will embody Runners, cybernetic mercenaries engineered to withstand the planet's brutal 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. An October development video provided insights into Marathon's mechanics, but the studio emphasized that the game was still in the early stages of development. Recent developments in the gaming industry have also affected Bungie's projects. Following the abrupt cancellation of the live-service shooter Concord, Sony announced a strategic shift, planning to launch only six of the twelve live-service games it had in development by March 2026. This shift 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, less than a year after another round of 100 layoffs. Additionally, former Marathon director Chris Barrett was allegedly fired following an internal misconduct investigation, and he has since sued Sony Interactive Entertainment and Bungie for over $200 million.

To catch the Marathon reveal live, tune in to the official Marathon Twitch channel on April 12. Don't miss out on what promises to be a thrilling showcase of this eagerly awaited game.