All articles tagged with #marathon
Sony, Bungie, and former Bungie director Christopher Barrett have settled his $100 million lawsuit alleging termination to dodge roughly $80 million in sale bonuses from Bungie’s 2022 acquisition; Barrett’s name is being added to Marathon’s credits, a stipulation framed as vindication, while Bungie braces for further layoffs and Marathon development continues.
Kotaku reports a viral tale of a Marathon player nicknamed Steve who allegedly reached level 45 by only killing robots and avoiding extraction, looting, or quests. While some doubt he’s real, video proof exists, illustrating that tutorials aren’t universal and players can discover systems on their own. After learning more about the game, Steve has started playing Thief and has climbed to at least level 52 with some extractions, showing how one person’s curiosity can shape a game experience.
A viral tale about a gamer nicknamed 'Steve' who spent hours playing Marathon without understanding its core mechanics, used as a lens to critique onboarding in modern games and to celebrate how players can still enjoy complex titles even when they miss key concepts.
Bungie’s Marathon Season 2 mid-season patch adds Vault Breaker, an endgame PvE mode on the Cryo Archive map for solo/duo/crew play with progressively challenging vaults and no PvP, plus a new Vault Data currency to upgrade Vault Breaker kits or gear; entrants use a Sponsored Kit and must leave gear behind to avoid loot hoarding. The update also debuts Cradle Evolution with persistent upgrades and a reset path for extra max Energy and cosmetics, plus faster Cradle progression. It lands July 21, ahead of Season 3 on September 22, which will bring major early-game changes, new weapons and gear, and more.
Bungie announced Vault Breaker, Marathon's new PvE mode that sends players into Cryo Archive’s endgame vaults with solo, duo, or crew options. Unlike typical extraction shooters, loot isn’t kept on exfil; instead players earn Vault Data to upgrade Sponsored Kits, providing PvE progression without flooding the economy with Cryo loot.
Bungie reveals Vault Breaker, a PvE-only mode in Marathon on Cryo Archive designed for solo, duo, or trio play. Loot isn’t carried over except Vault Data, which upgrades your Vault Breaker kit and can be exchanged for gear, aiming to keep the economy balanced. A mid-season update will bring QoL tweaks, then Season 3 in September will overhaul the early game with Perimeter revamps, a new Runner shell, and more content.
Bungie and external collaborators are publicly revealing the extensive artwork behind Marathon, showcasing internal and contractor contributions through a gallery-style feature with artist credits and links to each creator’s portfolio.
Bungie’s extraction shooter Marathon Season 2 is dealing with a bloated loot economy, with players earning the same amount of loot by week 2 as in week 11 of Season 1 and a bug inflating high-rarity drops. A June 16 patch introduced weekly rewards while nerfing some loot sources and Cradle XP in an early attempt to rebalance progression, but players fear the pace is too fast and some call for drastic fixes before Season 3.
Insider Gaming reports Bungie may cut roughly 400 of its ~800 employees this summer, driven by Destiny 2’s sunset and Marathon’s underwhelming launch, with no Destiny 3 in sight; the story also notes Sony’s ownership of Bungie and mentions broader industry layoffs at Xbox and Ubisoft as part of a turbulent summer for game studios.
A French journalist claims Bungie could lay off at least 50% of its staff this summer as Destiny 2 winds down and Marathon developments loom, a claim echoed by earlier Bloomberg reporting of significant layoffs. There’s no plan for Destiny 3, and the chatter comes amid Sony’s acquisition of Bungie and broader industry-wide layoff rumors, with July 1 cited as a potential reference date.
A former Bungie community manager claims Destiny 2 and Bungie were in dire trouble before Sony bought the studio, saying it was 'below the red line' and near shutdown; this comes amid Marathon underperformance and a $765 million impairment linked to Bungie, with Sony's acquisition framed as the lifeline that kept the studio afloat.
Marathon is positioned as the linchpin of Bungie and Sony's push into live-service gaming, with its development and monetization plan expected to test the viability and direction of their broader live-service strategy.
Destiny 2’s Monument of Triumph, its final update, drew a massive wave of players—pushing Destiny 2’s login numbers past Marathon’s peak of about 88,000 to well over 100,000—causing login errors and stressing SteamDB as fans bid farewell. Marathon Season 2 launches in parallel, and Bungie’s pivot toward Marathon has fans pressing for Destiny 3, with a petition reaching over 350,000 signatures. The send-off is underscored by a sun-setting Destiny home screen as fans flood the servers while hoping for a future in the Destiny franchise.
Destiny 2’s final patch rolled out across platforms, and fans responded by flooding the servers to demonstrate their ongoing love for the game and demand Destiny 3. Within minutes of the update, servers went down and fans celebrated the outage as a statement to Sony and Bungie about the franchise’s staying power. SteamDB recorded over 130,000 concurrent players during the first 30 minutes of the patch. Bungie acknowledged login issues on its support account, while many players pressed for Destiny 3 or further updates. Even as Destiny 2 will remain online, it won’t receive major new expansions, making Destiny 3 unlikely in the near term.
After a misleading PS Store description suggested the Deluxe Edition upgrade included the full Marathon game, Bungie will honor affected purchases by granting full base-game access for $14.99 and has updated the listing to clarify the offer, a move seen as good PR for the shooter’s PS5 launch.