Bungie's Troubled Shooter Project Marathon Shows Signs of Life
The upcoming sci-fi extraction shooter, Bungie's much-anticipated project, has made a reappearance with the announcement of a exclusive testing phase scheduled to run later this month.
A Rocky Development Journey
Initially revealed during the 2023 PlayStation Showcase, Marathon has undergone a tumultuous development cycle. Last fall, Bungie stated it was aiming to begin alpha testing sometime in 2025. A period of silence followed, until the game was showcased again in April with a planned September release. However, following initial testing led to negative feedback, the studio revealed during summer that it was delaying Marathon indefinitely.
Avoiding Past Mistakes
Though the title has already seen its portion of issues, the development team appears committed to ensure their project doesn't suffer Concord's fate. Currently, it seems the game's development is finally getting back on track, as Bungie just revealed that it has run "several closed playtests to collect player input on Marathon" since June of this year. The developer is expanding access, allowing additional participants to get an early look of the experience via an forthcoming "closed technical test."
Technical Test Details
Considering it's a closed testing phase, it's naturally limited access than, say, an open beta. To participate in the exclusive trial — which runs from October 22nd to October 28th — participants must meet the listed requirements:
- Apply via their platform
- Reside in Europe or North America
- Own a PlayStation 5, Xbox console, or compatible computer (minimum PC specs include an compatible CPU, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti GPU, and sufficient memory)
- Participate in the official Discord server
- Sign an NDA via the online community
Application Process
Registration is currently available, and to be eligible for the technical test, applicants must submit their application by the October 16th deadline. Players on Windows PC can also submit their application via the digital platform starting on October 13th, with Steam applications due by Oct. 26 at 4 p.m. PDT. The developer will notify players who qualify and provide details of the next steps.
"This is an important checkpoint for us as we test our improvements since the game's Alpha, including multiple locations, several character options, proximity communication, adjusted gameplay rhythm, solo queue, deeper environmental storytelling, and more," Bungie stated. "That said, the Technical Test build is a development build and will only include a selection of what's intended for the game's full release, focused on the early player experience."
Further Details
More info about the technical test and the actual experience can be found on Marathon's support section. But for players who aren't selected for the test (or don't have time), there's positive developments: The developer says a public update on the project's status is the next thing on the agenda once the test is over.
"There will be a comprehensive report on the game's progress in the near future after the private testing phase!" Bungie shared.
