Bungie to Unveil 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 Sunday, April 13, depending on your location). This event follows a mysterious tweet from the Destiny developer last week, which included a cryptic 15-second video that sparked a global sleuthing effort among fans as part of an "extensive alternative reality game."

Enthusiasts quickly discovered that the ASCII art in the video contained "a snippet of footage from the initial trailer," specifically showing "the runner sprinting down a hall from the trailer." Additionally, another message emerged: "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."

Bungie praised the collaborative efforts of "thousands of community members across the world" who worked together to unlock the date for the gameplay reveal of Marathon. 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) on Saturday, April 12, or Sunday, April 13 at 2 am JST (Tokyo) / 3 am AEST (Sydney) / 5 pm NZST (Auckland).

Marathon was first announced 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 mysterious planet of Tau Ceti IV, where players will take on the roles of Runners—cybernetic mercenaries engineered to withstand 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, information about Marathon has been sparse, with only a development update video in October shedding light on the game's mechanics. However, the studio emphasized that the game was still in the early stages of development.

The gaming landscape has seen significant shifts since then, particularly following Sony's decision to cancel the live-service shooter Concord. In November 2023, Sony president Hiroki Totoki announced that the company would focus on launching just six out of the 12 planned live service games by March 2026, signaling the cancellation of projects like The Last of Us multiplayer game.

Bungie itself has faced its share of challenges. In July 2024, the company laid off 220 staff members—17% of its workforce—less than a year after another round of layoffs affecting 100 employees. Additionally, former Marathon director Chris Barrett was reportedly fired following an internal misconduct investigation, leading to a lawsuit against Sony Interactive Entertainment and Bungie for over $200 million.

To catch the Marathon gameplay reveal live, tune in to the official Marathon Twitch channel on April 12.