Recently, the official account for Marathon asked players if they were excited about the extraction shooter, and the result was a lot of negative responses. Among the replies, there were revealing comments about the visual style of the game, lack of PvE content, Bungie’s monetization practices, and the trust that has been broken due to the handling of Destiny 2. Thus, these reactions suggest that the new title of Bungie will be a long and hard journey to win back the ears of the once loyal players.
So, in effect, that’s what Bungie was up to. They sent a really simple tweet from the Marathon account, asking something similar to “Are you excited for Marathon? If no, what’s the reason?” and linking the answer to their website. And boy, did they open the gates wide. It wasn’t just a trickle of feedback coming in but rather a full-blown flood of pure venom, skepticism, and some of the most inventively ruthless critiques that I have ever witnessed in a long time. The usual “looks cool” and “can’t wait” talk just barely touched the surface. A community was simultaneously venting years of grievances, albeit through the new game as a scapegoat. This whole thing can be described as quite crazy and mind-blowing at the same time.
To start with, let’s talk about the visuals, since that was the first thing that many people complained about. The word “vomit” was used a lot, like a lot of times. One gamer, Brandon Smith, was very blunt: “This vomit color. Start there.” Another gamer said it was “ugly” while another user commented that it “looks like made by ChatGPT.” A large segment of the public thinks that the artistic direction with bright, almost glitchy, and neon-soaked aesthetics is just not cutting it. It is not getting that “wow” factor which is expected from Bungie. On the contrary, some people find it the “what is that and why does it hurt my eyes?” factor. This is not the best first impression when you intend for your game to be the visual showcase.
However, the visuals are not the only reason for discontent. The real problem is the developer’s reputation and, thus, the main source of the rage. A huge theme in the replies is nothing but pure and unrestricted distrust. Gamers see the developers as trying to squeeze the last drops of money out of the audience through the unending, monotonous content cycle of Destiny 2, that’s why they distrust the developers and regard them as negligent. “Bungie is a bad relationship waiting to happen” and “bungie disrespectful to destiny don’t trust them” are just two examples of such feelings. People are afraid that Marathon will be released, grab the money, and then either get abandoned or poorly supported. One user thought it is “dead on arrival” and that Bungie will “kill the game in 2 months once they get their money.” Ouch! That is a level of cynicism that is very difficult to overcome.
This brings us to the gameplay aspect. Marathon is self-proclaiming a PvPvE extraction shooter, but to the gamers that only want to shoot aliens and experience a story, it is a non-starter. One reply said it in a very simple way: “No PvE modes, hate to play with other players.” Another answer was, “No single player.” For a studio that has always been recognized for its campaigns and world-building, it is a huge step to shift to the multiplayer, purely PVP or PVP&VE genre. They are automatically alienating the crowd of their supporters who are interested only in the narrative and wish to play cooperatively. Even the players that are willing to give it a shot are careful. One user, Sloth, said they were “curious to try it for myself, rather than excited,” being afraid that the game would favor team play over solo players.
The other big deal: the name. This one hurts a lot for the fans of the 90s. Bungie is bringing back the name “Marathon,” but this is not a rebirth of the classic 90s sci-fi shooter trilogy. It’s a completely different type of game. And wow, did that upset some people! “Oh the fact that you took the name of the Marathon Trilogy and used it on this slop,” Jacob Van Leeuwan said. Another person called it “haphazardly tacked onto an existing IP with fuckall to do with it because Bungie needed nostalgia points.” For them, it is like a bait-and-switch. Using a beloved name to garner hype for something unrelated is a guaranteed way to lose your most dedicated historians.
And naturally, we have to talk about money. The ghost of Destiny’s monetization still lurks around, and concerns about PlayStation and Xbox store pricing often come up in these discussions.
