Bungie Set to Unveil Marathon Gameplay in Live Stream This Saturday

Bungie is poised to showcase its upcoming PvP extraction shooter, Marathon, in a fresh gameplay livestream scheduled for Saturday, April 12 (or 13, depending on your global location).

Last week, the Destiny developer shared a cryptic tweet featuring a peculiar 15-second video that sparked intense fan speculation as part of an "elaborate alternate reality game."

Fans discovered that hidden within the ASCII art was "a brief clip from the original trailer," with keen observers noting "the runner dashing down a corridor from the trailer."

Another clue stated: "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."

"Thousands of community members worldwide collaborated to unlock the gameplay reveal date for Bungie’s upcoming extraction shooter Marathon," Bungie announced, confirming this weekend’s livestream will air at 10 am PDT (San Francisco) / 1 pm EDT (New York) / 6 pm BST (London) / 7 pm CEST (Berlin/Paris) / 9 pm GST (Dubai) or Sunday, April 13 at 2 am JST (Tokyo) / 3 am AEST (Sydney) / 5 pm NZST (Auckland).

Marathon was unveiled in May 2023 as a reimagining of the iconic Bungie franchise, steeped in "mystery, unease, and psychological intrigue." Set on the enigmatic planet of Tau Ceti IV, Marathon casts players as Runners, cybernetic mercenaries engineered to endure the planet’s brutal conditions. While navigating the remnants of a lost colony, players will hunt for valuable loot, including advanced weapons and gear.

Since its debut, updates have been scarce. An October development video offered insight into Marathon’s mechanics, though Bungie emphasized the game’s early development stage.

Meanwhile, following the sudden cancellation of the live-service shooter Concord, Sony is reevaluating its live-service game strategy. In November 2023, Sony president Hiroki Totoki announced the company would release only six of its 12 planned live-service games by March 2026, signaling the termination of The Last of Us multiplayer project.

Bungie has faced its own challenges. In July 2024, it laid off 220 employees—17% of its workforce—less than a year after cutting 100 other jobs. Weeks later, reports surfaced that former Marathon director Chris Barrett was dismissed following an internal misconduct investigation at Bungie. Barrett later filed a lawsuit against Sony Interactive Entertainment and Bungie, seeking over $200 million.

To catch the Marathon reveal live, visit the official Marathon Twitch channel on April 12.