Bungie’s Marathon is aiming for a launch by March 2026, with Sony promising to give the game the “optimal chance of success” despite recent controversies and delay rumors.
Bungie’s long-awaited shooter, Marathon, is officially one of Sony’s biggest bets for the coming year. The game, which brings back Bungie’s classic sci-fi universe as a brand-new extraction shooter, recently had a big reveal event where Bungie showcased the gameplay for the first time.
Shortly after, Marathon released a Closed Alpha Test, where players got their first taste of the gameplay. However, things haven’t been entirely smooth. The Alpha received mixed feedback, and Bungie faced criticism over allegations of art theft related to in-game assets. These issues, paired with rumors about a possible delay and changes in marketing strategy, left the community wondering what’s next for the project.
Sony Says Marathon Will Get the Best Launch Possible
Sony has now stepped in to reassure everyone that Marathon is still on track for release in FY25. The latest comments come directly from Sony’s new Business Segment Presentation, where Hermen Hulst, CEO of Studio Business Group, spoke in detail about Sony and Bungie’s approach and the company’s focus on making live service games successful.
According to Hulst, Bungie is now running constant playtests and using player feedback to shape Marathon’s future. The company has put in place stricter internal checks and is taking all the lessons from both successful and not-so-successful releases, like Concord, to make sure Marathon is truly ready. Sony’s goal is to make sure the game launches in the best possible state, not just for release day, but for the long run.
“For Marathon, it’s our goal to release a very bold, very innovative, and deeply engaging title. It’s going to be the first new Bungie title in over a decade, so we’re really excited for that release. We’re monitoring, we’re going through the test cycles, we’re monitoring the Closed Alpha cycle that the team has just gone through.
“We’re taking all the lessons learned. We’re using the capabilities that we’ve built in analytics and user testing to understand how audiences are engaging with the title. Some of that feedback, frankly, has been varied, but it’s super useful. That’s why you do these testing. The constant testing and the constant revalidation of assumptions that we just talked about to me is just so valuable to iterate and to constantly improve the title.
“So when launch comes, we’re going to give the title the optimal chance of success. And this cycle of test, iterate, test again, that is such a key component of the live service success, both leading up to launch but also throughout the life of the game. And we’re committed to continuing to leverage our learnings to maximize engagement and player satisfaction throughout the life cycle of the title.”
In related news, Bungie recently appointed former Narrative Director Julia Nardin as the new Creative Director for Marathon in May 2025.
