Boy has it been a very tough time for Bungie these previous few days. The layoffs, the handing over of employees and initiatives to dad or mum firm Sony, and the query marks over Future 2’s future have all made for fairly depressing studying. Bungie’s upcoming extraction shooter, Marathon, isn’t immune both, and new feedback from journalist Jason Schreier counsel that it’s in a “not nice” spot and that it’s state of affairs “jogs my memory of Suicide Squad.”
For anybody actually wanting ahead to Bungie’s subsequent FPS recreation, that’s in fact not what you need to be listening to. There have been already some issues that Marathon’s improvement was going by way of a shaky patch after it noticed an enormous change in management. It was reported earlier this yr that former recreation director Chris Barrett had left with ex-Valorant recreation director Joe Ziegler now changing him.
Nonetheless, off the again of Schreier’s current reporting on the Bungie layoffs, he says that his sources are feeling “pessimistic” in regards to the recreation and he wouldn’t be shocked to see the sport miss the present Marathon launch date window of 2025.
“[It’s] not nice from what I’ve heard,” he says on a brand new episode of the Buddies Per Second podcast when requested for a temperature test on Marathon. “There’s a cause that it was deliberate for this yr and slipped an entire yr, and those that I’ve talked to are a bit pessimistic about it even hitting its present deliberate deadline.”
The unhealthy information retains coming, sadly. Afterward in his discussions round Marathon, Schreier likens its journey to that of Suicide Squad Kill The Justice League, one of the crucial infamous flops of the final 12 months. The comparability isn’t essentially to do with the standard of the product, however within the similarities of when the 2 video games have been conceived, the traits they’re chasing, and the assets which have gone into them.
“[Suicide Squad] got here out and simply completely flopped and I’m frightened about Marathon being in an identical state of affairs the place it’s been in improvement for some time. It entered improvement when extraction shooters have been tremendous sizzling, I don’t know if that’s the case anymore, and now as a result of they’ve dedicated a lot cash and since it was the mission that was furthest alongside versus all their different incubation bets, they’re actually placing quite a bit into it and I’m simply undecided there’s a lot of an opportunity that it is going to be profitable. However then once more you by no means know you by no means know.”
As an enormous Future and Halo fan, I’m past assured that, from a gameplay perspective, Marathon goes to be wonderful. Nonetheless, for an extended whereas I’ve held the identical sort of issues that Schreier and his Bungie sources at the moment are speaking about. Couple that with the truth that there are a number of different extraction shooters in improvement proper now – ARC Raiders, Enviornment Breakout Infinite, and Exoborne are just some that spring to thoughts – and I really feel like I’m proper to be a bit frightened.
Whereas 2025 did additionally beforehand seem to be an achievable launch window, the Bungie layoffs and reshuffles will greater than probably impression Marathon’s schedule. After all, proper now that is hypothesis on my finish and even Schreier couldn’t confidently say an additional delay will occur, however slippage into 2026 seems like an actual chance.
I’m actually hoping – each as an FPS fan, and for Bungie’s sake – that Marathon is a success. However whereas we await it to reach, try a few of the different upcoming PC video games which are on the best way, or check out the very best multiplayer video games you may play proper now.
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