Bungie to Unveil Marathon Gameplay in Upcoming Livestream

Bungie is set to unveil more details about its highly anticipated PvP extraction shooter, Marathon, through an exciting gameplay livestream scheduled for this Saturday, April 12 (or Sunday, April 13, depending on your global location). The excitement kicked off last week when the Destiny developer posted a cryptic tweet featuring a 15-second video, sparking an intense "alternative reality game" among fans eager to uncover more about the game.

Eagle-eyed players quickly spotted a snippet of footage from the initial trailer embedded within the ASCII art, revealing a runner sprinting down a hall. Another intriguing message surfaced: "WHEN WILL HE RETURN ERROR ERROR ERROR HAS OCCURRED THE ENEMY RETURNED SYSTEM WARNING: PROTOCOL BREACH EVACUATE THE BASE IMMEDIATELY ALL UNITS REPORT TO STATION INITIATE EMERGENCY PROTOCOL 7 DATA LOSS IMMINENT GOOD LUCK, COMMANDER." This sparked a global effort by thousands of community members to unlock the gameplay reveal date.

Bungie announced that the livestream will take place at 10 am PDT (San Francisco) / 1 pm EDT (New York) / 6 pm BST (London) / 7 pm CEST (Berlin/Paris) / 9 pm GST (Dubai) on Saturday, or Sunday, April 13 at 2 am JST (Tokyo) / 3 am AEST (Sydney) / 5 pm NZST (Auckland).

First revealed in May 2023, Marathon is a reboot of the iconic Bungie franchise, embracing themes of mystery, eeriness, and psychological creepiness. Set on the enigmatic planet of Tau Ceti IV, players will take on the roles of Runners—cybernetic mercenaries designed to withstand the planet's harsh conditions. As they explore the remnants of a lost colony, players will hunt for valuable loot, including new weapons and gear.

Since the initial announcement, updates have been sparse. A development video in October provided insights into Marathon's mechanics, though Bungie emphasized the project's early stage. Amidst these developments, Sony has shifted its focus on live-service games following the abrupt cancelation of Concord. In November 2023, Sony president Hiroki Totoki announced the company's plan to launch only six of the 12 planned live service games by March 2026, signaling the cancellation of the The Last of Us multiplayer game.

Bungie itself has faced its share of challenges. In July 2024, the company laid off 220 staff members—17% of its workforce—less than a year after another round of 100 layoffs. Additionally, former Marathon director Chris Barrett was allegedly fired following an internal misconduct investigation, leading to a lawsuit against Sony Interactive Entertainment and Bungie for over $200 million.

To catch the Marathon gameplay reveal live, tune in to the official Marathon Twitch channel on April 12.