Destiny 2 developer Bungie confirms rumored revival of Marathon, its pre-Halo shooter

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Bungie is getting into extraction shooters with a new shooter revival 30 years in the making

Marathon
(Image credit: Bungie)

We finally know what Bungie is working on besides Destiny 2: a revival of Marathon, the sci-fi FPS it built before even the original Halo days, as a PvP extraction shooter coming to PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC with full cross-play and cross-save.  

Confirming leaks from October, Marathon was unveiled during today's live PlayStation Showcase. "A sci-fi PvP extraction shooter, Marathon will find players engaging one another as cybernetic mercenaries known as Runners, exploring a lost colony on the planet of Tau Ceti IV in search of riches, fame, and infamy," Bungie editorial lead Brian Ekberg explains in a PlayStation blog post. 

"A massive ghost ship hangs in low orbit over a lost colony on Tau Ceti IV," the official website teases. "The 30,000 souls who call this place home have disappeared without a trace. Strange signals hint at mysterious artifacts, long-dormant ai, and troves of untold riches. You are a Runner, venturing into the unknown in a fight for fame… and infamy. Who among you will write their names across the stars?" 

Marathon will be Bungie's first new game since work on Destiny started over a decade ago. Former Destiny art director Christopher Barrett, now game director on Marathon, says "it’s not a direct sequel to the originals, but something that certainly belongs in the same universe and that feels like a Bungie game." 

Importantly, Barrett confirms Marathon won't have any sort of single-player campaign. "With the PvP experience as our foundation, we’re creating opportunities for player-driven stories to unfold, stories that are integrated with the overarching game narrative," he says. "We’re building a world full of persistent, evolving zones, where players create their own journey with every run they take." 

General manager Scott Taylor repeatedly asserts that there's still a lot of work to be done on Marathon, and my read is that we probably won't see this thing until 2025 at the earliest, though that's a soft estimate at best. 

Bungie's also unveiled the showcase for Destiny 2: The Final Shape, and it looks like Cayde is back.  

Austin Wood
Austin Wood
Senior writer

Austin has been a game journalist for 12 years, having freelanced for the likes of PC Gamer, Eurogamer, IGN, Sports Illustrated, and more while finishing his journalism degree. He's been with GamesRadar+ since 2019. They've yet to realize his position is a cover for his career-spanning Destiny column, and he's kept the ruse going with a lot of news and the occasional feature, all while playing as many roguelikes as possible.