Since the last public test of Marathon, there has been much criticism of the extraction shooter. Bungie has now postponed the release indefinitely, allowing the team ample time to work on the game. Now leaks about the game have emerged, which show a positive development show.
What is Marathon? The extraction shooter Marathon is the new game by Bungie, the creators of Destiny. In the game, you take on the role of a Runner, spawn on a map, fight against NPCs and other players, and loot what you can. You then try to escape the map alive. Marathon adheres to the concept of an extraction shooter: those who die lose their loot and the equipment they carry.
Marathon was originally scheduled to be released in September 2025, but after Bungie conducted a public test for the alpha version, criticism poured in: the game does not feel good, lacks depth, and provides little incentive to play it for long. Additionally, there were allegations of plagiarism, which harmed the game’s and the studio’s reputation.
Bungie subsequently postponed the release indefinitely to ensure that the developers can guarantee and deliver better quality. Now new leaks have come to light that show Marathon in a better light. There might still be hope.
Beautiful graphics, but an expert says that is not enough yet
What do the leaks say? The X user itsrocksiza received new material related to the closed alpha of Marathon. This material consists of images of the scenery as well as some features that Bungie has newly implemented in the game. Out of respect for the developers and their work, we will not link the leaks but will only report on the impressions.
Marathon is now supposed to look better overall. The environments appear more appealing, especially the outdoor terrain. Additionally, Bungie is said to have implemented a feature that makes blood trails visible. Wounded players can then leave blue blood splatters and smear traces on the ground behind them.
Your blood is also said to be visible floating in the water, to make it appear even more realistic. At first glance, that may not seem like much, but it shows an improvement. The shooter and Destiny expert Aztecross (source: youtube.com) has also seen the leaks and is surprised by the improvements. For him, however, this is still not enough.
What does Aztecross say about the leaks? In his latest video, Aztecross reacted to the leaks and was positively surprised. The team was able to make improvements and beautify Marathon. However, for him, that is not the core of the problem. Marathon has many issues that the team needs to address, including:
- There is no proximity chat
- There is no solo mode
- There is no clear direction in development
- Bungie expects to create the game with the help of the community
- Marathon is too expensive for what it is
- The game is too difficult for beginners and too easy for veterans
It is a positive sign for fans that Bungie can show improvements, even if they are not official. It remains to be seen what new features the developers can come up with – but until then, fans will have to be patient.
Note that even if the leaks seem very real, they are not official information. There is no guarantee for the authenticity of the recordings. However, since Bungie has reportedly asked the leakers to delete the content, there may be some truth to the recordings. You can find more about Marathon here: Sony wants to ensure that Marathon does not go the way of Concord despite “mixed feedback”
