Bungie Says Marathon Flopped Because It Was Too Hard

Bungie, the developer of the extraction shooter Marathon, has admitted that the game's failure at launch was due to its excessive difficulty, which deterred a mainstream audience. Marathon was designed as an ultra-hardcore PvPvE game, where death resulted in loss of all gear, including items brought into the battle. This made the game feel brutally punishing, especially during PvP encounters.

Despite Bungie's attempts to reassure players about overcoming the steep learning curve, many were put off by the constant failures they experienced while trying to master the game.

Upon release, the introduction of the brutal and complex endgame raid, Cryo Archive, further alienated the casual players. Even former professional Counter-Strike player Shroud expressed concern about Marathon's difficulty, questioning whether casual players like his grandmother and grandfather would be able to handle it. In response to the poor launch, Bungie's senior design lead, Kevin Yanes, admitted that the game was overly difficult, and the constant loop of failure did not resonate with the majority of players.

Game director Del Chafe III acknowledged that Marathon's PvP was "sweaty" and that the game was intended for "sweaty people who like PvP." He admitted that Bungie had not succeeded in bringing extractions to the masses, stating that the game was built as an extraction shooter never seen before. The developer plans to address these issues by making the game more accessible, adding dedicated PvE modes, expanding Perimeter, and introducing a team deathmatch mode.

Bungie aims to ease new players into traditional extraction mode, which has been a source of controversy among players.

These changes were announced alongside Bungie's surprise return to the world of Destiny 2, but Bungie has not hinted at a full live service support for Marathon. Despite Sony's commitment to the game and its support, Marathon's future remains uncertain as it will continue into 2027.