Bungie has announced that its next project, a reboot of Marathon, won’t be releasing on the specified date of 23 September 2025. The studio confirmed this delay through a post, stating that the title has now been taken off the release calendar and a new date will be shared this year.
Following a lot of community feedback after the April alpha test, this decision has been made. Bungie appreciates the sheer volume of fan outcry from various platforms including social media and Discord. Additionally, it indicates that this response has affected their priorities in development.
Alpha Test Sparks Critical Refocus
The development team got a reality check via the alpha test that took place in April and turned out to be much more than a tech run. Bungie has acknowledged that players’ feedback played an important role in changing the studio’s course. They said they would get more time to mold Marathon into a unique extraction shooter for the team.
After taking our time with this project, we hope to have given players the high pressure, high stakes experience that they would expect from a Marathon game.
Key Improvements in the Pipeline
In response to community feedback, Bungie listed various areas of improvement. Developers are adding a greater variety of encounters to the game, from smarter AI to tighter combat, for an overall more rewarding experience.
The game’s visuals and graphics are also getting a pretty big overhaul. According to Bungie, the new Marathon game aims to capture the dark vibe of its predecessor with low-light settings similar to other first-person shooters.
Moreover, they will add features for talking nearby and aid for solo players and duo players. These updates are designed to make the experience dynamic and interactive for a larger audience.
New Timeline Expected by 31 March 2026
Bungie may yet not have given a new date for the reboot of the shooter series, but Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Hermen Hulst recently said that it should arrive before 31 March 2026. The executive acknowledged that there were mixed reactions from fans, but reassured them that lessons were learnt from the previous games.
According to Bungie, players will receive more updates soon, and a more complete progress report along with the new date will come later this year.
Looking Ahead for Marathon
The Marathon reboot was revealed back in May 2023. However, this game has been facing issues, including some claims of plagiarised content in its earlier build. Bungie is devoted to delivering an experience that feels right and meets the expectations of fans, while still holding up to the studio’s high standards.