Bungie’s Marathon is likely to be delayed as a new report claims Sony has now canceled all paid marketing plans.
Bungie’s upcoming shooter, Marathon, just can’t seem to catch a break. What started as a highly anticipated Closed Alpha Test has hit roadblock after roadblock, leaving fans wondering if the game will actually see the light of day this year.
First, the studio was rocked by an art theft scandal when it was revealed that some of Marathon’s promotional materials and in-game art were directly copied from an indie artist’s work, ANTIREAL. Bungie quickly apologized and promised to review all assets, but the damage was already done.
Following the whole art theft controversy, several reports have now painted a pretty troubling picture of what’s happening behind the scenes at Bungie. Multiple sources say morale among the developers is in “free fall,” with many team members feeling frustrated by leadership decisions and the overall direction of the project.
Some have even gone as far as calling Marathon’s leadership “toxic and humiliating” to work with, saying that warnings about focusing only on PvP were brought up early on but were completely ignored by higher-ups.
On top of that, another report claimed that after the mixed reaction to the Closed Alpha, Bungie pushed back its marketing and pre-order plans that were supposed to go live in June, and the big open beta was replaced with “public playtests.”
Sony Reportedly Cancels All Paid Marketing For Marathon, Delay Incoming?
Now, a new report claims that Sony has cancelled all paid marketing plans for Marathon. This information comes from Colin Moriarty, who shared the news in the latest (paywalled) episode of the Sacred Symbols+ podcast. This reportedly came from someone familiar with the marketing efforts in an overseas market, and is “considered a fairly unusual move for a game of this high profile.”
“I was told by someone familiar with marketing plans in a key overseas market that there are now no plans to do paid marketing for Marathon at all,” Moriarty said during the podcast. “I don’t know if those plans were affected by what has recently happened or if that was always the plan or whatever. But it is considered a fairly unusual move for a game of this high profile.”
With everything going on, the art plagiarism controversy, mixed-to-negative feedback from the Closed Alpha, and now no paid marketing plans from Sony, it’s hard not to see a delay on the horizon. Pushing forward with the planned September 23 launch could honestly make things even worse for Bungie and Marathon.
That said, none of this has been officially confirmed. These reports come from insider sources, and as always, it’s smart to take things with a grain of salt. So far, neither Bungie nor Sony has made any public statement about delaying Marathon or their plans for the game’s release.
What’s your take on the situation? Should Bungie and Sony delay Marathon and try to turn things around, or is there still hope for a 2025 launch? Let us know what you think in the comments.
