At the end of May, Bungie unexpectedly revealed its new game - PvP shooter Marathon. For those who
didn't follow the studio's interviews, the announcement was sudden: some even thought as if it was a
new IP. But it isn't.
Marathon is an ancient franchise by industry standards and Bungie's first successful shooter.
Despite being rarely remembered, the series is innovative and distinctive in many ways. For example,
free aiming without being tied to character movement was first introduced in Marathon.
We share few details of the new installment and recall the original games of the series.
What is the game
Technically, information about Bungie's upcoming shooter has been on the web for a long time. Back
in 2019, the studio's CEO said in an interview with IGN that the company will release a new game
outside the Destiny universe before 2025. Then, last October, the Insider Gaming website revealed
that Bungie's new project is a revival of the Marathon franchise. In the same piece, the portal's
sources shared the first details, which converge with what we learned after the official
announcement.
Marathon is a PvPvE-extraction-shooter. The subgenre is remotely similar to Battle Royale, but with
its own nuances: players in small squads land on a large territory with the rest of the lobby.
Each of the squads performs its own tasks: you can search not only for other living enemies, but
also unique loot or especially dangerous NPCs. After achieving the desired goals, the team must
evacuate to save the loot and use it in other game sessions. In case of failure, the equipment taken
with them is lost forever.
Insider Gaming confirms that Marathon's gameplay loop is very similar to what can be seen in other
extraction shooters such as Escape from Tarkov or Hunt: Showdown. The player chooses a mission, buys
loot and perks, performs tasks on the map with his companions, evacuates, spends the gained
experience on skills and perks - and so on.