Summary
Bungie’s upcoming first-person shooter gameMarathonwill not be free-to-play like many may have assumed, but will instead be a paid title. Fans have known aboutBungie’s plannedMarathonreboot for years, but the studio has just now pulled the curtain back on the extraction shooter with new gameplay videos, trailers, and concrete information on what to expect.
TheMarathongameplay trailerrevealed four of the game’s unique playable Runners, intense extraction shooter gameplay, release date, and closed alpha start date. As revealed by the trailer, theMarathonrelease date is set for September 23. However, those that get invited to theMarathonclosed alpha will be able to play the game on April 23.
WhileMarathonhas been praised by those that have actually played it, the game has also drummed up some negative reactions from fans. It’s been revealed thatMarathonwill be a premium release instead of a free-to-play game, though it will not be “full-price.” It’s unclear exactly how muchMarathonwill cost at launch, but fans can rest assured that it won’t be $70, at least. More details onMarathonpricing will be announced this summer. In the meantime,GameSpot has notedthatMarathonwill have a battle pass and only three maps at launch, with a fourth coming “shortly after.”
Marathonbeing a premium title despite being a PvP, online-only experience combined with the fact that it’s only launching with three maps, has ruffled some feathers. Some fans have started comparingMarathontoConcord(to the point that “Concord” is currently trending on Twitter), afailed live-service hero shooterthat was also from Sony. LikeMarathon,Concordtried to be a premium release in a genre dominated by free-to-play games, and that did not work out, to say the least.
However, it’s worth pointing out thatBungie has an established track recordof releasing hit first-person shooter games, and so fans shouldn’t count the studio out just yet. WhileMarathon’s status as a premium game instead of a free-to-play release has raised some eyebrows, it’s entirely possible that its gameplay is quality enough to convince people to buy the game and stick with it long-term. Of course, that all remains to be seen.Marathon’s success will live and die by its gameplay, and so it will be interesting to see how fans react to the alpha test taking place later this month and how Bungie incorporates fan feedback into the final release when it launches on September 23.
