Bungie’s struggles develop extra evident as Marathon undergoes a handful of drastic modifications, with a transfer away from seasonal content material, a deal with PvE, and a major delay for the sport’s subsequent replace.
Bungie confirmed right now that Marathon’s subsequent main replace, which was slated to launch on September 22, will now arrive on December 8. This replace will add everlasting PvE content material, a social area with a firing vary, an experimental TDM mode, and way more. On October 6, the sport will get a smaller replace that resets development and the in-game economic system to organize for an overhaul.
Bungie famous that it is usually shifting away from conventional seasonal content material updates with a purpose to give the group extra time to work on new content material. The studio has additionally been made conscious of suggestions almost about holding gamers hooked through extra depth, selection, and stronger development, and is actively working to implement modifications to reply to that. All in all, it is clear that Bungie is attempting its easiest to save lots of Marathon amidst main struggles.
Marathon did not impress gamers when it launched earlier this yr and has solely sunk additional in the previous couple of months. To make issues worse, Bungie additionally killed support for its biggest game, Destiny 2, with a purpose to focus more on Marathon. It was a controversial transfer, and to this point, it does not appear to be paying off. A swath of gamers have already written off Marathon, and Bungie’s try to vary the sport’s identification by shifting away from the extraction parts doubtless will not change minds.
The subsequent huge replace will probably be launching only a few weeks after Grand Theft Auto 6 and about two months after the discharge of Fashionable Warfare 4, which can have its personal expansive extraction part generally known as DMZ. It is unclear what’s in retailer for the way forward for Bungie exterior of updates to Marathon, because the studio does not have something in full-blown, energetic manufacturing in the intervening time. Hopes for Destiny 3 were quashed earlier this summer season when Bungie laid off a sizable number of developers who were working on Destiny 2, as effectively.
Cade Onder
Freelance Author
Cade Onder is a freelancer for IGN’s information group. He covers all issues leisure, together with gaming, movie, and extra. You’ll find him on Twitter @Cade_Onder.