Bungie made a shocking revelation through its recent announcement that it has a release date set for its predecessor game Marathon. The game is expected to be released on March 5 and will be available for PC and consoles at a price of $40. The game which had been speculated upon ever since it was revealed to be Bungie’s first major IP after Destiny, is now given a price and a date with this announcement.
Bungie finally revealed details on Marathon saying it’s coming on March 5 at forty bucks. That was the most important news from the official tweet, and honestly, it has the whole gaming community on the internet buzzing like a hive. Not exactly in a totally united way, though. Some people are just excited to finally get a date and have a price that isn’t the usual $70. For example, one player, AAWLIET, has explicitly stated that they are “just happy it’s not another full $70 gamble” and have even complimented the game’s art style. That’s a vibe, isn’t it? After undergoing live service games that constantly demanded your time and money, this feels somewhat liberating? Or at least, that’s what we are led to believe?
But then you continue to scroll down. And the pandemonium starts. Because we are dealing with Bungie here and the feelings are… complicated. First you have the hype people, like Sol Invictus1997 who instantly proclaimed “This game looks so siiick” and SoulHunter who is ready to buy it on the first day. That’s the easy part.
Then come the doubters. And oh boy, do they speak up. One player, Ninja Wizard, quickly calculated: “$40 plus $120 ps plus subscription + DLC + Microtransactions. No thanks I rather play THE FINALS.” Oof. That’s live service trauma talking, and you can’t really blame them. Destiny’s monetization ghost is haunting the new game before it even starts! Another, Ironwill Games, went even further listing everything from Sony’s layoffs to artist plagiarism and stating that Bungie “is not worthy of our time or money.” Wow.
And then there’s the… confusion? Like, what even is this game? LegalSifter perfectly articulated the thoughts of many: “bungie really said ‘we heard you want destiny 3’ and made extraction tarkov instead.” So it’s not a direct Destiny sequel. It’s this PvP-centric extraction shooter kind of thing. Which is great! However, it means that this game will face tough competition from games like ARC Raiders, as another user, Bobifer, stated they are already “too drowned in” that to spend on Marathon. There are not only players splitting their time and money but also competition.
Some of the responses are nothing but pure, unfiltered gamer chaos. DeadSpacedOut claimed it’s “selling a whole 13 copies,” which is simply their typical pre-launch doomposting. But then the response came from vintii who shared a screenshot with them proving that it was already “Top 10 on Steam after 2 hours” of… something? Probably wishlisting? It’s like this never-ending cycle of instant negativity and instant pushback. Currently, the discussion is a marathon in itself.
The price. $40. That’s the central point. It’s a tactical move. It is set low enough to allow in people who are cautious of another full-price commitment to live service. However, the replies indicate that everyone is aware that the door is merely the entrance to the monetization theme park. The real issue is not the price of $40. Rather, it is what comes after—season tickets, cosmetics, and expansions. Bungie’s entire model is based on the post-purchase ecosystem. Thus, the low price is like an extremely appealing, tempting welcome mat.
Besides, there is this strange yet lingering question of… legacy? A couple of players, like Maximalist, referred to the “original Marathon legacy.” That is the deep-cut Bungie history, the old Mac shooter from the 90s. Most of the people tweeting wouldn’t probably know that, but it’s quite amusing to see it come to the surface. For many, this is just “the new Bungie game.”
So, what is the net result? We gained a date, a price, and a mountain of differing opinions from gamers, all confirmed. Some have decided that they will be there on March 5, ready to go. Some are suspiciously looking at the whole situation, recalling every error made in the previous decade. A lot of them are just waiting to find out if the gameplay loop actually is fun because in the end that’s what matters. A great artistic style and a low ticket price are nice, but if the action second-to-second does not feel good then no pricing strategy will save it.
Marathon’s release date and price announcement have also sparked discussions about its availability on Xbox consoles.
