Bungie Unveils Marathon Once Again with Short Film and September Launch Date

Bungie has once again lifted the veil on their highly anticipated extraction shooter, Marathon, capturing the gaming community’s attention during a livestream event this past Saturday. Originally announced back in May of 2023, the studio has been relatively tight-lipped about the game. But as we inch closer to its September 23 release, Bungie is ready to dish out all the exciting details about Marathon.

The livestream kicked off with a succinct introduction, setting the stage with a vibrant trailer. Following this eye-catching opener, the developers took center stage to dive deeper into the specifics of the game. Fans were in for a treat as a more extended trailer narrated by Ben Starr, known for his roles in Final Fantasy 16 and Balatro, laid out the mechanics of Marathon.

In the game, players step into the shoes—or rather, the metallic shells—of Runners, who are essentially bio-cybernetic mercenaries. Teaming up in squads of three, players are deployed onto various maps located on the colony of Tau Ceti IV.

Once on the ground, the mission is clear: scour the area to collect valuable loot and fulfill contracts for their in-game factions. But it’s not a simple run; players must be wary of others in the area. Confrontations are inevitable, and success in skirmishes means walking away with the enemy’s loot. The crucial element is to extract safely from Tau Ceti IV to keep those hard-earned rewards. Of course, the risks are high—falling in battle means losing everything, even the items brought along for the mission.

Further into the event, Bungie showcased a captivating short film set in the Marathon universe, masterfully crafted by Alberto Mielgo, the acclaimed 2022 Oscar winner for Best Animated Short Film (The Windshield Wiper). Mielgo, celebrated for his work on Love, Death & Robots and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, depicted the riveting and dangerous lives of the Runners, complete with nods to the Voight-Kampff test from Blade Runner.

Fans can look forward to Marathon’s debut on PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X, a fact unchanged by Bungie’s acquisition by Sony in early 2022. For the eager among us, signing up for the alpha test starting on April 23 is a possibility.

One detail that remains elusive is the game’s price. Bungie kept silent about it during the stream, but later, a representative clarified to Polygon that Marathon will come with an upfront cost rather than being free-to-play. However, specifics about the price or any potential ways Bungie might monetize the game after launch are still under wraps.