A new report has revealed that Bungie’s top leadership ignored repeated warnings and PvE requests from Marathon developers for years.
Bungie’s upcoming extraction shooter, Marathon, is now facing even more scrutiny after a couple of tough weeks for the studio. It started with the game’s Closed Alpha launch, which saw mostly mixed reactions from fans and critics alike.
Fast-forwarding to this week, the new controversy landed on Bungie’s lap, where an indie artist named ANTIREAL accused the studio of directly lifting her artwork from 2017 and pasting it 1:1 in the Closed Alpha build of the game. Bungie admitted that a former artist had used the artist’s designs without permission.
All of this has led to what’s been described as morale in “free-fall” at the studio, as employees worry about the future of both the game and the company itself.
New Report Reveals Bungie Leadership Ignored Marathon Developer Concerns for Years
A new report from Forbes’ Paul Tassi gives us a clearer picture of what’s really been happening behind the scenes at Bungie. According to Tassi’s sources, developers at Bungie have been voicing concerns about Marathon’s core direction for at least five years.
Many repeatedly stressed that the game needed a PvE (player versus environment) component, but senior Bungie leadership, described by some as the “good old boy” group, often brushed off these warnings and requests.
“Marathon was originally pitched by higher-up ‘good old boy’ Bungie leadership, and as far back as five years ago, devs were telling them what would and wouldn’t work and were often ignored. Many have said previously that it needed to have some sort of PvE component,” the report reads.
In a recent interview with GamesRadar, Marathon game director Joe Ziegler didn’t hold back about the game’s direction. He made it clear that Marathon isn’t aiming to please everyone, especially those looking for a PvE-only experience.
“I think if you are only looking for PvE experiences, definitely Marathon is not the game for you,” Ziegler said. “We are very comfortable saying, yeah, this isn’t a game for everybody. This is a game for: if you like PvP experiences, especially in sandbox spaces, then this is probably something you’re gonna enjoy.”
The report also reveals that Bungie’s original marketing plan for Marathon, which included a new trailer and the launch of pre-orders in June, was scrapped earlier this month. Along with that, Bungie may now roll out a series of public playtests instead of a single open beta, though those details aren’t finalized yet.
Other recent details include the price, which The Game Post reported last year would be $40, and as of a couple of weeks ago, that’s still the plan. While there hasn’t been any official talk of a delay yet, all the ongoing changes and behind the scenes drama have a lot of people wondering if it might actually happen.
What do you think about all these new Marathon developments? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
