Bungie has quietly updated Marathon’s alpha with a new in-game message, hinting that a release date and possible beta announcement may finally be around the corner.
Bungie’s upcoming extraction shooter, Marathon, has been quietly cooking in the background for a while now. The game was originally set to launch on September 23rd, but after the mixed reception to its Closed Alpha test and the huge art theft controversy that followed, Bungie announced an indefinite delay.
Since then, the devs have been running monthly closed playtests. And aside from occasional mentions in Sony’s earnings reports, official updates have been pretty much nonexistent. But over the past couple of weeks, some interesting behind-the-scenes changes have started to pop up, hinting that the long silence might finally be coming to an end.
15GB Marathon Alpha Update Released on Consoles
The most obvious change came with a hefty ~15GB update to the Marathon Closed Alpha Test on consoles. The update was released on September 26th, and after downloading it, players noticed a new boot-up screen that now reads: “Marathon is a prerelease software. Some features may not work correctly, and the game might crash.”
The game’s menu soundtrack was also updated with a new one, and a previous error screen that had appeared in red was swapped out for a black version. (check them out below)
While console players received a big update, over on Steam, The Game Post noticed that both the base Marathon app and the Closed Alpha Test client have been receiving regular backend updates. SteamDB shows multiple changelists over the last week, pointing to active development on both builds. These kinds of changes are often tied to preparations for public-facing announcements.
New In-Game Message
Then, just yesterday, a server‑side update quietly rolled out to the Closed Alpha across PC and console. After that change, when trying to connect, we noticed that the in-game connection message had been updated. Before, the screen would show “Your account is not provisioned for Marathon. If you believe this is an error, please visit [Bungie Help site] for assistance.” Now it reads:
“Marathon is not open to players yet. Thank you for your patience as we prepare for your arrival.”
Alongside the in-game message, Bungie also adjusted the Marathon Steam store page shortly after, with updated microtrailers and other asset changes. This adds weight to the idea that the studio is gearing up for a new announcement, and potentially a beta release.
All of these small moves line up with what Bungie and Sony said earlier this year: that a new release date for Marathon will be revealed this fall. Back in April, Bungie also confirmed that a beta was part of its rollout plans. Senior Design Lead Lars Bakken even mentioned accessibility and customization features being scheduled for “the beta and the launch.”
That said, not everything is set in stone. A report from Forbes contributor Paul Tassi claimed that Bungie had scrapped much of its original marketing and pre‑order plans. Instead of a big open beta that was supposed to go live in August, the studio shifted to a “roadmap of public playtests.”
So right now, it’s still up in the air whether Bungie sticks with its original open beta plan or shifts to something smaller, more limited public playtest instead. What we do know for sure is that the studio has promised an official update with a brand-new release date this fall, which should be coming fairly soon.
What do you think about Marathon? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
