As Bungie plots a future for extra Destiny, head of product Josh Deane has clarified that gamers need not “purchase Marathon as a donation” simply to help the studio’s plans.
It is a clarification that arrived after Deane posted a neighborhood message for Future followers yesterday. The message, featured as a part of a lengthy Q&A blog post, outlined the unvaulting course of for Future 2 content material that was previously promised final month, however one section left gamers confused – and anxious – concerning the future and extraction shooter Marathon’s function within the huge image.
“We’re not going to overlook the errors of the previous, however it is time to be taught from them and unify as one Bungie neighborhood,” the part in query stated. “For us, the vast majority of our Bungie staff is legacy Future, and we are going to all let you know that nothing might help bridge us into future greater than for Marathon to quickly evolve and develop into sustainable. As we head into our December and March updates for Marathon, it’s a formative interval for all of us right here at Bungie that may assist decide the form of our future, so please encourage one another and know that your help offers our staff the vitality to complete the struggle.”
It is the “nothing might help us bridge us into future greater than for Marathon to quickly evolve and develop into sustainable” bit that is bought the Future neighborhood so riled up. With the back-and-forth pulling Future 2 in and out of the fire all by the span of some months, some believed Bungie was making an attempt to inform its viewers that selecting up a duplicate of its new sci-fi FPS would assist preserve it and the studio’s future safe. Deane stepped in to substantiate this isn’t the case.
The Bungie developer stated his intention was to not relaxation the Future revival on the shoulders of the fans that helped breathe life back into it earlier this 12 months. He chalks it as much as a mistranslation, “and that is on me.”
“By no means is the Future plan contingent upon Marathon,” Deane added. “Play what evokes you, no matter it’s. Primarily hoping we are able to accomplish our objectives in each lanes with a stronger relationship with our whole neighborhood!”
I’ll have worded this clumsily however that is the true coronary heart of what I used to be making an attempt to say
Actually care about neighborhood therapeutic and consider that it’ll assist our studio bridge into the long run in essentially the most wholesome means attainable ❤️
Play and share what you’re enthusiastic about, no matter that’s
The Future plan strikes ahead it doesn’t matter what
— Josh Deane (@S14deane) October 30, 2026
When one participant instructed they feared they have been being inspired to buy however by no means obtain Marathon simply to help Bungie, Deane said, “Oh, do not buy Marathon as a donation or provide anything.”
“It is our job to indicate up for you,” he added. When one other fan expressed comparable concern, he said, “I actually love the sentiment however solely purchase or play a factor that evokes you from us / you assume is cool! We are going to discover our means again dwelling with Future.”
So, there you may have it: Future and Marathon do not rely upon the success of the opposite. As Bungie principal comms supervisor Dylan Gafner said, “Two muffins! One huge neighborhood.” That ought to provide some aid not solely to Future gamers who feared their favourite recreation’s future should be in jeopardy but in addition to Marathon gamers who’ve feared the identical.
Negativity has surrounded each video games in current months, with neighborhood members on either side going at each other as each struggled. For now, we all know that the Future franchise will dwell on with a couple of tasks. These embody “celebration” content material updates, a challenge that the staff has teased as “Future ‘Legacy’,” and a mysterious “redacted” challenge.
For Marathon, Bungie will continue to try to revitalize the extraction shooter with Symbiosis this December. The studio additionally lately reassured players that the extraction component is “still a major part” of the experience because the staff experiments with PvE and Deathmatch modes.
What’s subsequent for Future and Marathon stays to be seen, however it’s clear Bungie is placing within the work to maintain each afloat. Whereas we wait to see how issues pan out, you possibly can see why the studio believes the latter struggled at launch. You too can examine how the Destiny community banded together to help the #SaveMassEffect movement.
Michael Cripe is a contract author with IGN. He is finest identified for his work at websites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Make sure you give him a observe on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).