When Marathon released, there was a borderline unheard of level of backlash to Bungie’s extraction shooter. Whether it was due to valid complaints that were quickly addressed by the studio, tribalistic Arc Raiders fans, angry Destiny players, or the painfully common case of gamers lashing out at games they don’t even have interest in to begin with, there was a clear desire from many to see Marathon fail. Threads were filled with blind hate, streamers who tried to enjoy the game were bashed for it, and Marathon’s Steam numbers have constantly been used as proof that the game is doomed.
With Marathon closing in on a month of life, though, it’s clear that it won’t die off as quickly as Concord or Highguard, meaning its many haters have already failed. Its consistent 40k player base on Steam may not be setting the world on fire, but it is likely enough to keep the game alive for the foreseeable future, even if its estimated 1.2 million in sales (with many of those copies being sold on Steam, not PlayStation) have inspired nervous glances from the game’s community. So while Marathon won’t be shutting down as quickly as some other failed live-service titles, many are understandably concerned that it could stop receiving content updates sooner rather than later. Me, though? I’m just trying to block out all the doomposting and focus on how much fun I’m having with the game right now. And ever since I’ve stopped arguing over something I have no control over, and gave up on trying to win over those determined to hate the game, I’ve been having a blast with it. When it comes to all things Marathon, I really can’t recommend staying off the internet enough.
Marathon: Review Roundup | It’s a Marathon, Not a Sprint
Marathon has been out for a little under a month, yet players and critics alike are still trying to make sense of it all.
Even if Marathon Died Tomorrow, I’d Have Gotten My Money’s Worth
Don’t get me wrong, it’s not easy to ignore the discourse around Marathon’s statistics. Virtually every time a person says they’re loving the game, they’ll be met with some form of negativity, from someone laughing at its sales numbers to worried fans preaching that the end is near to longtime followers of Bungie’s work being unable to forgive the company’s past mistakes. That level of negativity can be draining when one is looking to discuss something they love, so instead of letting myself get lost in debates (like I often did with The Last of Us 2), or letting myself grow frustrated by endless hate (Battlefield 6’s community has been a nightmare to watch), I’m just tuning out all the naysaying.
Fit the 9 games into the grid.
Are Marathon’s sales cause for concern? Perhaps. Is its small but loyal player base enough to keep the content flowing for a long time? I’m not sure. But what I am certain of is that Marathon is the most I’ve enjoyed an FPS in a long, long time. Marathon’s stacked voice cast has me eager to learn its lore, its art direction is downright gorgeous, its music gets in your head fast, and its gameplay is rewarding and intense on each and every run. Loot fear only exists in the sense that it gets my heart racing during PvP battles, but if I lose, it’s not the end of the world since sponsored kits exist. Even if I’m failing multiple runs in a row, I know that success is just around the corner, and with that success comes some truly meaningful loot. There are enough activities to keep each run fresh, a good balance of difficulties across Marathon’s four maps, and impactful upgrades to grind for.
As I get close to Marathon’s Platinum Trophy — I have just over 30 season levels to go — I’ve put over 50 hours into the game, all of which I’ve thoroughly enjoyed. And with only a $40 price tag on Marathon, it’s apparent that I’ve gotten more than my money’s worth already. Don’t get me wrong, I want Marathon to thrive so that I can keep it in my rotation for a long, long time. I want the game to get more maps, Runner Shells, earnable cosmetics, and lore. But if this is it, and Marathon’s content drops start to fade away after its second Season (which is already set in stone), then I’ll be satisfied. Yes, Marathon deserves so much better than a short life, but even if the game doesn’t get that, I’ll have loved it for what it was. I can’t control how the game performs, and it’s not my place to worry about it. I’m not a Sony shareholder, and I don’t have a stake in Bungie, so I’m just going to focus on what’s in front of me: an addictive game I’m constantly thinking about playing.
No matter what happens with Marathon, I’m just going to focus on loving the game and whatever content Bungie has planned for it.
Marathon First Impressions: A Harsh Introduction That Grows On You
Marathon is an incredibly overwhelming game, but if and when its core loop clicks, it’s an unforgettable experience.
There’s Still Hope For Marathon to Bounce Back From Its Rocky Start
However, while I am blocking out the negativity and just enjoying the time I have with a fully supported Marathon, I’m also not as fearful about the game’s future as some players are. For starters, the official Marathon PC performance guide shared by Bungie sees the studio itself promising “years” of support for the game. And while that support could certainly shift away from playable content to pure quality-of-life additions if Sony pulls the plug on the title’s budget, Marathon’s numbers seem solid enough to earn it a “wait and see” approach. After all, its supposedly massive budget is money that has already been spent. So, as long as the title is making enough through future game sales and microtransactions to support server upkeep and justify developers working on it, there’s a very real chance that it could keep the lights on for quite a while.
Additionally, there’s an argument to be made that Marathon will have some strong legs ahead of it. While many bashed Bungie for suggesting that reviewers hold off on scoring the game until they’ve put some proper time into it, that strategy seems to be working. Normally, when a new game releases, its score slowly drops on platforms like Metacritic before plateauing at its final number. Marathon, however, is essentially the reverse of this trend. Its initial Metascore was a solid-if-not-spectacular 72, but it’s since climbed up to a much more impressive 81. Most of the critics that followed Bungie’s advice to spend time with the game instead of rushing to get their scores out first are higher on it, which does make sense, as it takes time for the ins and outs of extraction shooters to sink in. As major platforms like Game Informer drop high scores for the game, it could be a wake-up call to those who were fooled by the hate campaign for Marathon early on, with the positive word of mouth eventually helping the game sell better.
There are no shortage of video game comeback stories, whether it be Bethesda’s Fallout 76, No Man’s Sky, or Final Fantasy 14. Marathon is arguably in a better state than all of these games when they first debuted, too, so the path to recovery should be easier to tread.
In addition to more 9 and 10 scores for Marathon popping up with every passing day, Bungie’s support for the game is deserving of praise. The speed in which it is moving to fix player complaints is, frankly, unheard of for the studio, especially after years of necessary Destiny 2 changes taking far too long to come to fruition. If part of the reason that Marathon took a hit with its initial sales is because of Bungie’s dwindling reputation, then Bungie’s work improving Marathon should help restore that reputation and (hopefully) win over those on the fence. Not only are a lot of critics loving the game the more time they spend with it, but players are feeling that they’re being heard, which sees positive word of mouth coming from another direction.
No matter what happens with Marathon, I’m just going to focus on loving the game and whatever content Bungie has planned for it. I’d love to see fully new maps in Season 3 and beyond, but I’m also excited for the nighttime version of Dire Marsh that’s set for Season 2. And while the menu layout suggests there are plans in place for several more Runners, I’m just glad we’ll be getting at least one more come August. I’m no stranger to games I have interest in dying before their time — Concord was essentially killed by grifters, I never even got to try Highguard before its shutdown was announced, and I was always waiting for Marvel’s Avengers to turn another page that it never did. Marathon is better than all of these games, though, and I’m hoping that the late reviews wake more gamers up to that fact. But even if Marathon is doomed to only live for a short time, at least it’s been a good time. And I’m not going to waste any of my own time getting into the weeds with people who like to see things fail when I could be having fun clutching fights with some clever Vandal platforming.
- Released
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March 5, 2026
- ESRB
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Teen / Animated Blood, Language, Violence, In-Game Purchases, Users Interact
- Multiplayer
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Online Multiplayer, Online Co-Op
