Marathon had barely gotten a trailer when it got into a lot of trouble. And this is against the backdrop of a not-so-warm presentation in April, where the audience saw the gameplay for the first time.
Since then, it has become clear that not everything is going according to plan. Today, there are reports that Sony has completely canceled paid marketing for the project. And the game’s release date is likely to shift from the previously scheduled September 23, 2025, writes Colin Moriarty (former IGN editor, now a PlayStation podcaster). According to him, he received the information from a source familiar with marketing plans in an important foreign market:
«I was told by someone familiar with marketing plans in a key overseas market that there are now no plans to do paid marketing for Marathon at all.I don’t know if those plans were affected by what has recently happened or if that was always the plan or whatever. But it is considered a fairly unusual move for a game of this high profile»,— he says.
Similar data was confirmed by a journalist Forbes Paul Tassi: Bungie has completely scrapped the so-called «main» marketing plan. It was supposed to include a new trailer, which was planned for July, and the launch of pre-orders. The team is currently working on revising the plan.
And this is only half of the problems voiced to the general audience — so we will continue to hide them. So, Marathon managed to face criticism after the presentation. Most of all, players were confused by the lack of proximity chat and uncertainty about the price. After that, Bungie decided to cancel the NDA for alpha testing — such a decision is usually made only after serious negative feedback.
Another scandal — accusations of plagiarism. Artist Antireal claims that Marathon is using its old posters without permission. Bungie has recognized the problem and promised to «thoroughly review» all visuals. This is in addition to the fact that Bungie is a kind of specialist in plagiarism issues.
Against the background of all this, the atmosphere inside the studio — is not the best either. According to sources, morale in the company is «in free fall», and work on the game is described as «actively hostile». Marathon was supposed to be one of the most desirable games of 2025, but with this background, the chances of that happening are rapidly melting away.
Well, it is unlikely that we will see an update on Marathon in the near future, so for those who missed it: Halo creators showed expanded Marathon gameplay — art house, teleportation and explosive strikes.
Source: The Game Post
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