Bungie to Unveil Marathon Gameplay in Upcoming Livestream

Bungie is set to unveil more details about its eagerly awaited PvP extraction shooter, Marathon, with a comprehensive gameplay livestream scheduled for this Saturday, April 12 (or Sunday, April 13, depending on your global location). This exciting reveal comes after a week of intrigue sparked by a cryptic tweet from the Destiny developer, which included a 15-second video that set fans on a thrilling quest as part of an extensive alternative reality game.

The community's detective work paid off when they discovered that the ASCII art in the tweet contained "a snippet of footage from the initial trailer," specifically showing "the runner sprinting down a hall from the trailer." Another clue surfaced with the 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." Thanks to the collaborative efforts of thousands of fans worldwide, the date for the gameplay reveal was unlocked.

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, and Sunday, April 13 at 2 am JST (Tokyo) / 3 am AEST (Sydney) / 5 pm NZST (Auckland).

Marathon was announced in May 2023 as a reboot of the classic Bungie franchise, incorporating themes of "mysteries, eeriness, and psychological creepiness." The game is set on the mysterious planet of Tau Ceti IV, where players will assume the roles of Runners, cybernetic mercenaries equipped to navigate 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 announcement, updates have been sparse. A development update video in October provided insights into Marathon's mechanics, but emphasized the game's early development stage. Amidst this, Sony, Bungie's parent company, has faced significant shifts in strategy, particularly following the cancellation of the live-service shooter Concord. In November 2023, Sony president Hiroki Totoki announced the company's plan to launch only six of the 12 live-service games it was developing by March 2026, signaling the end for projects like The Last of Us multiplayer game.

Bungie itself has been embroiled in controversy, having laid off 220 staff members in July 2024—17% of its workforce—less than a year after another round of 100 layoffs. Moreover, former Marathon director Chris Barrett was allegedly fired following an internal misconduct investigation, prompting Barrett to sue Sony Interactive Entertainment and Bungie for over $200 million.

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