After alpha feedback: Bungie postpones "Marathon" indefinitely

Bungie needs more time: The cult development studio has postponed its upcoming online shooter “Marathon” after mixed feedback from alpha tests. Bungie informed its fans of this on Tuesday evening. Originally, “Marathon” was due to be released on September 23.

A new release date has not yet been set and will not be announced until the fall. Until then, Bungie apparently wants to largely withdraw from public communication and concentrate fully on development. “You'll hear from us again in the fall when we can share the progress we've made,” the studio writes in a blog entry.

Designs stolen

The development of “Marathon” has not been under a good star for some time: some community resented Bungie from the outset for not concentrating fully on its multiplayer shooter “Destiny 2”, which has been successful for years. After all, it became known that Bungie was apparently using the designs of independent artist Antireal in “Marathon” without permission.

Comparison screenshots, which leave little room for discussion, made waves online and attracted a lot of attention on Reddit, for example. Bungie finally responded: after an investigation, it was discovered that the design elements from Antireal had made their way into the game via the texture library of a former employee.

“This issue was not recognized by our art team, and we are still investigating how this oversight occurred,” Bungie wrote on X. “We take matters like this very seriously. We have contacted Antireal to discuss this issue and will endeavor to do right by her.” The incident is also said to have affected morale within the team.

In the coming months, Bungie will continue to carry out game tests, in which some alpha participants will also be allowed to play again. Among other things, the studio wants to improve the battles against AI opponents and strengthen the visual identity of “Marathon”, according to the blog entry.

(dahe)