There's been a leak, of sorts, leaving over two hours of Bungie's mysterious and long-gestating Marathon available to watch. The footage gives us a good look at the current state of the extraction shooter, showing the gunplay and UI across several maps.
This comes courtesy of a Bilibili user who uploaded clips of their time playing Marathon's October Closed Technical Test. Across the videos totaling 132 minutes - which are still available at the time of writing - we can see Dire Marsh, Perimeter, and Outpost, presenting a mix of existing assets now updated and completely fresh additions.
Perimeter was tested in April, and now looks much better compared to available images and information from that session. It’s more colorful, easier to maneuver, and generally looks sleeker. Outpost is totally new, slightly more intimate than the other two, with the player getting into intense gunfights quicker.
The sniper, shotgun, and assault rifle all get good use by the player, each looking useful in the ways you'd expect. Marathon's bright, vibrant aesthetic is pleasing on the weapons, giving them a distinctive flair on-screen. The UI appears clean and minimal as well, but given this is all in development, expect some or all of these elements to change at least somewhat between now and the next time you see the game in action.
Bungie's been conducting these sessions under strict NDA, forbidding people from discussing what they see, which is why this much gameplay is so noteworthy. The studio announced Marathon in 2023, but development began well before then, and the game has, so far, endured several internal changes across the company, including an acquisition by Sony, layoffs, and restructuring.
We had a release date of this past September, but it's now been delayed indefinitely, though Sony has maintained it'll come out before the end of March 2026. Whether that holds is another question, but another playtest is set for December. Development on Marathon is proving to be a marathon, pun intended, and the finish line might be a ways off yet.
