Summary
Bungie’s first try at the extraction shooter formula,Marathon, has a lot to prove to Bungie fans and new audiences alike. Launching into a crowded market dominated by a few big titles, the veteran studio has its work cut out to make this next venture a success, and many of these hurdles will surely be tackled in time, as Bungie has proven to be quite adaptable over the years.
However, there are plenty of questions flying around at the moment, not least whoMarathonis for. Time is a premium that quite a few players are not able to give over to a new live service game, and Bungie knows that very well, asDestiny 2has been criticized for demanding all of its players’ time.Marathonmight be the game that truly puts this time limit to the test for manyDestinyfans who want to give it a try, leaving them with a tough choice.
Marathon’s Live Service Aims Might Make It Unappealing to Destiny Players
Anyone that has playedDestinywill know how much time needs to be spent to keep up with the game. Bungie has designed a formula, which manyonline MMO-lites like Destiny 2, incentivize players to return weekly or daily in order to hit all the milestones in a season, and not be left behind. The studio has taken steps over the years to reduce some of the time-sink, such as lowering power level progression requirements, but it still has a reputation for eating up vast amounts of player time.
Marathonwill be the second live service game from Bungie, placing it side-by-side withDestiny 2. As an extraction shooter, there is an emphasis on collecting the best loot, which will likely mean sinking lots of time into chasing the most powerful gear. As plenty of live services have proven, players are often happy to give up time regularly if the experience is rewarding, andMarathonclearly hopes to foster a thriving communityto see Bungie’s vision through.
There has also been more discussion in past years about just how many live services can survive at once, and this question is understood well byDestinyfans. With that game demanding lots of time, fans of that series may struggle to balance it withMarathon. This is assuming thatDestinyfans will enjoyMarathon, of course, which is not guaranteed, but fans of current Bungie games do seem like an obvious crowd to try to win over. They are familiar with the studio, and would likely be more forgiving than new players if the game launches in a rough state.
But that can only happen ifMarathonis not looking to take up all the time in its players’ week. Not all the features of its live service are known yet, but the game will have seasons, with a story that gets updated on a seasonal basis, and ifDestinyis anything to go by, the commitment required to grind out the seasonal content will be quite high.
With this in mind, one thing that suggestsMarathonmay not be attempting to appeal toDestinyplayers is by wiping player inventories at the start of every new season.Destinyplayers are notorious for hoarding weapons, even if they are completely unusable in the sandbox of the day, and this fact alone could be enough to dissuade them from trying Bungie’s new game.
Already divisive for a few reasons,Marathonneeds to thread the needle, encouraging players to return frequently, but not so much that it burns them out. The developer has a lot of experience in the live service market, so much thatSony bought Bungie for $3.6bn in 2022, so if any studio can figure out the right balance, and satisfy players who want to try both, then it may be Bungie.
