This December, Bungie has opened registrations for the community playtest of its upcoming title, Marathon. Interested players will be able to participate in this testing phase, which will take place from the 12th to the 16th of the month, under a confidentiality agreement. This means that those who participate will not be able to publicly discuss the details of the game, unless there are early leaks. Is there room for another extraction shooter? The announcement of the playtest comes at a crucial time, as Marathon prepares for its launch, which is expected before March 2026. The competition in the […]
This December, Bungie has opened registrations for the community playtest of its upcoming title, Marathon. Interested players will be able to participate in this testing phase, which will take place from the 12th to the 16th of the month, under a confidentiality agreement. This means that those who participate will not be able to publicly discuss the details of the game, unless there are early leaks.
Is there room for another extraction shooter?
The announcement of the playtest comes at a crucial time, as Marathon prepares for its launch, which is expected before March 2026. The competition in the extraction shooter genre has increased, especially with the recent explosive success of Arc Raiders, a game that has captured the community’s attention. This context could influence players’ expectations towards Marathon, as many are being drawn to titles like Arc Raiders and Escape from Tarkov.
The growing interest in these games may make it difficult for Marathon to capture the desired attention at the time of its launch. Some analysts suggest that Bungie might be considering integrating well-received features from Arc Raiders, such as proximity chat, which could bring greater interactivity and emergent narrative moments that have resonated in the extraction shooter of its competition.
Although Marathon has been enjoyed in previous versions, some critics, including an author of this article, point out that it lacked essential elements, which could be an area for improvement. However, Bungie’s skill in game design has generated expectations, and their previous experience with Destiny offers a hint that the gameplay will remain superior, which could capture the attention of players currently experimenting with other titles.
With the release date still to be determined, the eyes of the community will be on how Marathon evolves and whether it can capitalize on the momentum generated by the success of Arc Raiders.
Sony has taken an ambitious direction in the development of its upcoming video game Marathon by hiring Oscar-winning director Alberto Mielgo to create an eight-minute cinematic short that establishes the game’s narrative and environment. Mielgo highlighted on his Instagram account that this production did not involve artificial intelligence, in response to rumors that arose around his creative process. “I can’t believe we’ve reached a point where I have to clarify this, but here it is: this is not AI,” he wrote, emphasizing that 155 people worked hard during a […]
Sony has taken an ambitious direction in the development of its upcoming video game Marathon by hiring Oscar-winning director, Alberto Mielgo, to create an eight-minute cinematic short that establishes the game’s narrative and environment. Mielgo highlighted on his Instagram account that this production did not involve artificial intelligence, in response to rumors that arose around his creative process. “I can’t believe we’ve reached a point where I have to clarify this, but here it is: this is not AI,” he wrote, emphasizing that 155 people worked hard over an extended period to bring this project to life.
Not everything is AI
Mielgo’s statements also addressed concerns about the use of external artistic assets in Marathon. He clarified that a texture was used by mistake and that the press has exaggerated the situation. “The worst part is working very hard for years to create something great, only for it to be overshadowed by the press,” he stated. Despite these setbacks, Sony announced that Marathon will be released in March 2026, ensuring that they will make the necessary corrections in the game’s development.
Regarding the discussion about the use of artificial intelligence in the creative field, Mielgo admitted to not having defined opinions on the matter, but stated that AI will never replace the human desire to create art. “That part will never be replaced,” he assured, making it clear that his commitment is to creativity and artistic expression.
As the launch of Marathon approaches, the community of players and critics will be watching closely how this project unfolds and the creative decisions the Bungie team will make along the way.
The extraction shooter genre continues to show untapped potential, reflected in the imminent release of two significant titles: Marathon from Bungie and Arc Raiders from Embark. Both games have conducted playtests simultaneously, providing developers the opportunity to compare their decisions and player reactions to their respective approaches. Between doing it one way or another, they chose better. Virgil Watkins, design director of Arc Raiders, commented on the coincidence of the tests, highlighting that it turned out to be an excellent opportunity for a comparative analysis. “It was a great test […]
The extraction shooter genre continues to show untapped potential, reflected in the imminent release of two significant titles: Marathon from Bungie and Arc Raiders from Embark. Both games have conducted playtests simultaneously, providing developers the opportunity to compare their decisions and player reactions to their respective approaches.
Between doing it one way or another, they chose better
Virgil Watkins, design director of Arc Raiders, commented on the coincidence of the tests, highlighting that it turned out to be an excellent opportunity for a comparative analysis. “It was a great A/B test for us, as they made decisions that we did not, and vice versa,” explained Watkins, suggesting that the opportunity to observe how players responded to different design decisions was enriching.
Despite this promise, not all analysts are convinced. Tyler Wilde, editor-in-chief of PC Gamer, has expressed his skepticism about whether the market can sustain two extraction shooters, a genre that, by its nature, is not particularly casual. “Both studios need their extraction shooters to be a success,” Wilde stated, adding that there might be insufficient demand for both games.
In addition, the design director of Arc Raiders praised the artistic style of Marathon, expressing curiosity about its future evolution. “I found the artistic style very evocative… I hope to see more of that in the future,” he commented, highlighting the importance of aesthetic value in video game development. Although both titles have notable differences, comparisons are inevitable in a competitive market that seeks to capture attention in a genre that still has much to offer.
This week, Bungie has released Destiny 2: The Edge of Fate, an expansion that begins a new saga for the popular action role-playing game. However, the reception has been mixed, with player activity clearly being significantly lower than in previous expansions. According to data from SteamDB, the game reached a peak of 99,120 concurrent players at its debut, a figure that falls short compared to the peak of 314,000 players recorded during the launch of The Final Shape last June. Is this the beginning of the end? The criticism towards The Edge of Fate […]
This week, Bungie has released Destiny 2: The Edge of Fate, an expansion that begins a new saga for the popular action role-playing game. However, the reception has been mixed, with player activity noticeably below that of previous expansions. According to data from SteamDB, the game reached a peak of 99,120 concurrent players at its debut, a figure that falls short compared to the peak of 314,000 players recorded during the launch of The Final Shape last June.
Is it the beginning of the end?
The criticisms of The Edge of Fate present a varied analysis; while many players believe that the campaign has interesting elements, they also express dissatisfaction with aspects such as the interface and progression systems. The new star map that replaces the world map has been received negatively, with users pointing out that the existing system had greater appeal and charisma. Additionally, the implementation of a transformation mechanic has divided the community: while some support it, others see it as a missed opportunity.
Bungie faces internal challenges, including layoffs and criticism regarding the development of other projects like Marathon, which has impacted the marketing of this new expansion. The studio’s focus for this year includes the release of two annual downloadable content batches and experimentation with new narrative mechanics, suggesting that significant changes will be attempted in the near future.
Despite the criticism, some players have begun to enjoy the content, appreciating the narrative shift towards cosmic mysteries and a less clear-cut villain focus. However, the future of the saga will depend on how Bungie addresses the community’s concerns and the quality of upcoming releases.
Hermen Hulst, CEO of PlayStation Studios, has confirmed that the company will release at least one flagship single-player game each year, starting in 2025. This news comes in a context where the PlayStation 5, launched almost five years ago, has been marked by a strategy focused on games as a service, which has failed on various fronts. This has led to a notable shortage of exclusive single-player titles on the console, raising concerns among fans. Major releases on the horizon Among the upcoming releases, Death Stranding 2 stands out, which will be exclusive to PS5 and […]
Hermen Hulst, CEO of PlayStation Studios, has confirmed that the company will release at least one flagship single-player game each year, starting in 2025. This news comes in a context where the PlayStation 5, launched almost five years ago, has been marked by a strategy focused on games as a service, which has failed on various fronts. This has led to a notable shortage of exclusive single-player titles on the console, raising concerns among fans.
Big Releases on the Horizon
Among the upcoming releases, Death Stranding 2 stands out, which will be exclusive to PS5 and is scheduled to launch soon. Another important game is Ghost of Yotei, set for October 2, 2025. However, not all anticipated titles will arrive in the short term; projects like Insomniac Games’ Marvel’s Wolverine and other developments at Naughty Dog are still in early stages. Fans may have to wait some time before seeing these promising releases in action.
Sony’s strategy has faced criticism, especially after the cancellation of several games-as-a-service projects from studios like Bluepoint Games and Bend Studio. Naughty Dog also chose to halt development on The Last of Us Online to focus on creating high-quality narrative experiences. This decision underscores the importance the company places on single-player games, although recent cancellations have raised doubts about the future of certain studios within PlayStation.
On the other hand, launches like Marathon and Fairgame$ are planned, scheduled for 2026, in an attempt to diversify the game offerings. Despite the cancellation of more than seven titles, Sony continues to bet on games as a service, indicating a clear intention to balance its catalog with titles of different kinds. With several projects in the works, patience seems to be the key for players in this transition phase.
Bungie has made a significant change in the creative direction of Marathon, its highly anticipated project, by appointing Julia Nardin as the new creative director. Nardin, who joined Bungie in 2019, has worked in various capacities within the studio, standing out as the narrative director on Destiny 2 before taking on the creative leadership of Marathon. Her experience and knowledge of the Bungie universe are presented as essential assets for the development of this new IP. They seek to change the work dynamic with a new creative director. Nardin’s arrival comes at a crucial time, as Marathon has […]
Bungie has made a significant change in the creative direction of Marathon, its highly anticipated project, by appointing Julia Nardin as the new creative director. Nardin, who joined Bungie in 2019, has worked in various capacities within the studio, standing out as the narrative director on Destiny 2 before taking on the creative leadership of Marathon. Her experience and knowledge of the Bungie universe are presented as essential assets for the development of this new IP.
They seek to change the work dynamic with a new creative director
The arrival of Nardin comes at a crucial moment, as Marathon has faced several setbacks on its path to the scheduled launch on September 23, 2025, on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. Recently, a promotional trailer for the game sparked controversy by including unauthorized art, leading Bungie to issue a public response and conduct an internal review of its creative processes. The company attributed the error to a designer who is no longer part of the team, indicating a willingness to improve its practices to avoid similar issues in the future.
Despite the controversy generated and the absence of Marathon in the recent State of Play, which fueled rumors about a possible delay, Bungie has reaffirmed its strong commitment to the release schedule. Nardin, taking the helm of Marathon, seeks not only to strengthen this commitment but also to bring a more cohesive vision to the game, which aims to become one of the standout releases of the year.
With the ambition to overcome the challenges it has faced, the Bungie team is confident that Nardin’s leadership will allow this project to culminate on a promising and well-defined path, establishing a new standard for its creative universe.
The situation at Bungie has become critical following the recent wave of layoffs and the growing complaints about its work environment. A former engineer at the studio, known as Spirited, has described the internal climate at the company as “toxic and humiliating,” citing serious issues with leadership and morale after the dismissal of 220 employees. In a now-deleted social media post, he expressed concern for the experience of those still working at the company, noting that “every day” they were reminded that their experience did not matter in the face of decisions made by inexperienced leaders. This has generated a climate […]
The situation at Bungie has become critical following the recent wave of layoffs and the growing complaints about its work environment. A former engineer at the studio, known as Spirited, has described the internal climate at the company as “toxic and humiliating,” citing serious issues with leadership and morale after the dismissal of 220 employees. In a now-deleted social media post, he expressed concern for the experience of those still working at the company, noting that “every day” they were reminded that their experience did not matter in the face of decisions made by inexperienced leaders. This has created a crisis atmosphere at the studio, which recently tried to regain public trust with the launch of Marathon.
Toxic leadership has led to the current situation
Marathon, the highly anticipated return of Bungie to the competitive shooter genre, has faced significant criticism. The studio admitted to plagiarism for using graphic elements without permission in the game’s development, which led to a public apology to the affected designer, Antireal. “I want to send a personal apology… I know how unfair it feels,” the creatives at Bungie stated, taking responsibility for the incident.
Additionally, the first comments on the internal tests of Marathon have been concerning, with many users expressing dissatisfaction with the state of the game. Despite the initial expectations that this title would combine the franchise’s legacy with modern mechanics, rumors suggest that the release could be delayed until 2026 to extend the playtesting. This adds to the growing distrust within the studio regarding the quality of the final product, increasing uncertainty among both developers and fans alike.
The anticipated reboot of Marathon by Bungie has revealed key details about its design and gameplay mechanics. This title will be a hero-based extraction shooter, similar to Escape From Tarkov, emphasizing gameplay that includes skills, economy, and an arsenal of weapon modifications that will appeal to fans of character building in Destiny. Additionally, features such as proximity chat, solo play, and cosmetics have been confirmed, although many questions remain unanswered. How much will Marathon cost? Not even Bungie knows. One of the most confusing aspects so far […]
The highly anticipated reboot of Marathon by Bungie has revealed key details about its design and gameplay mechanics.This title will be a hero-based extraction shooter, similar to Escape From Tarkov, emphasizing gameplay that includes skills, economy, and a range of weapon modifications that will appeal to fans of Destiny’s character building. Additionally, features such as proximity chat, solo play, and cosmetics have been confirmed, although many questions remain unanswered.
How much will Marathon cost? Not even Bungie knows
One of the most confusing aspects so far has been the cost of the game. During the recent official presentation, Bungie was reserved when addressing the topic of price. Although it was mentioned that Marathon will be a premium title, it was clarified that it will not be at full price, which has generated confusion among fans. This suggests that, while it is unlikely to cost 70 euros, the exact price has not yet been defined and could be in a considerably lower range.
Bungie developers have indicated that they are considering player feedback to determine the final price. In a recent interview, game director Joe Ziegler commented that each player has a different perception of what constitutes a fair price, which reinforces the idea that the team is handling this decision carefully.
With Sony showing high expectations for the financial performance of Marathon, it is clear that the company is betting big on this title. However, setting a price that does not deter players before its release is a challenge. Given that the multiplayer shooter market is competitive, overpricing could negatively impact the perceived value of the game.
Marathon es uno de los grandes lanzamientos del año. Es el título más grande de este año de Sony y Bungie, y hasta ahora no ha tenido ningún fracaso. Destiny es una gran franquicia y Halo, mientras lo estaban haciendo, no tuvo una sola entrega mala. Por eso es interesante ver qué están cocinando con este juego que puede plantear una pregunta. Porque han dicho que es un shooter de extracción, pero ¿qué es un shooter de extracción? ¿Qué es un shooter de extracción? Para resumir mucho, lo que caracteriza a los shooters de extracción es que son juegos donde tenemos que entrar en un cierto […]
Marathon is one of the big releases of the year. It is the biggest title of this year from Sony and Bungie, and so far, they have not had a single failure. Destiny is a great franchise and Halo, while they were making it, had not a single bad installment. That’s why it’s interesting to see what they are cooking up with this game that can raise a question. Because they have said it is an extraction shooter, but what is an extraction shooter?
What is an extraction shooter?
To summarize a lot, what characterizes extraction shooters is that they are games where we have to enter a certain hostile area, gather as much loot as possible, and escape from there alive. Maintaining the gear and materials between matches, the more we play and the better we play, the better our character will be. At least until our character resets in each new season, forcing us to start from scratch.
This is a tough, difficult, and very satisfying genre. And that’s why we are going to recommend the six most interesting games in the genre that are currently on the market. Because not everything is about waiting to see if Bungie can democratize a genre that is considered too complex to reach the masses.
The most popular game in the genre, also one of the toughest. Set in a fictional region of Eastern Europe, we are part of a private military company at war with another military company where we have a single objective: to venture into hostile territory, gather all the materials and weapons we can, and escape from there. Very focused on weapon skills, but also on achieving maximum realism with its injury and survival system, it is a game as complex as it is satisfying. But you will need more than a couple of YouTube videos to start mastering it.
One of the first extraction shooters is one of the most famous. And not without reason. Here we are a monster hunter who must take down a mythical creature in a series of different scenarios, with one particularity. There are also other monster hunters who want to do the same. We can try to ally with other players to achieve the objectives or attack them, but whatever we do, before going after the monsters we will have to find the clues of where they are and go in search of them. Because the life of a hunter is never easy, no matter how mythical the creatures may be.
The most recent addition to the genre is also one of the most striking. In a post-apocalyptic world where an eternal war occurs between three countries controlled by AIs, war machines fight 24/7 without stopping. In Forever Winter, we are nothing more than simple humans trying to survive these battles, making our way and stealing what we can in an absolutely hostile world where everything can kill us, and drawing attention will ensure we end up three meters underground. Absolutely hostile, tremendously dark, and with a base resource management that makes each fight even more desperate, it is one of the most interesting extraction shooters you can play today.
All the other games on this list are 3D games that aim to be as realistic as possible. Zero Sievert tries something diametrically opposite. It is a top-down game with relatively simple pixelated graphics that seeks to create a completely different experience. Skill is less important than knowledge, and that makes many people appreciate this game above the rest of the genre: there is no way to overcome knowing what you should do and when in each situation. Because it doesn’t matter how good you are at aiming in Zero Sievert. Nothing will save your life out there if you don’t know what you’re doing.
Perhaps the most controversial inclusion, because in fairness it is more of an RPG shooter than an extraction shooter, but at the end of the day there is such an evident overlap between both genres in the case of Witchfire that it is different to separate them. If you want an entry into the genre that is based on a structure more similar to Destiny 2, with RPG-style dungeons, as well as the ability to mod your weapons, Witchfire is the perfect way to understand what extraction shooters offer without having to face a pure game of the genre.
The other great game of the genre. A very unique game both for its aesthetics and its approach and setting, because Deep Rock Galactic has a much greater focus on PvE, as in this game we have a single objective: to travel to strange planets to extract materials from their mines and survive. This means we will have to work as a team to obtain the maximum amount of materials possible and repel the alien threats lurking in every place. With a procedurally generated cave system, no game is the same as another, and if you want a cooperative game that can last an infinite amount of time, no other will offer you what Deep Rock: Galactic does.
Bungie, known for its iconic legacy in video game development, is venturing into a crowded genre with the release of Marathon, a PvPvE extraction shooter. With a scheduled release date in September, the game will be available on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. As the studio enters a market already dominated by titles like Escape from Tarkov and Hunt: Showdown, Bungie’s strategy aims to attract not only veteran players but also those who have had limited or unsatisfactory experiences with extraction shooters in the past. A game that seeks […]
Bungie, known for its iconic legacy in video game development, is venturing into a crowded genre with the release of Marathon, a PvPvE extraction shooter. With a scheduled release date in September, the game will be available on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. As the studio enters a market already dominated by titles like Escape from Tarkov and Hunt: Showdown, Bungie’s strategy aims to attract not only veteran players but also those who have had limited or unsatisfactory experiences with extraction shooters in the past.
A game that seeks to simplify an extremely complex genre
Joe Ziegler, the game director, has emphasized that Marathon aims to provide a new and interesting experience, focusing on what truly attracts players to extraction shooters. According to Ziegler, the goal is to eliminate the complexity that often accompanies this type of game, making the mechanics more accessible for new players. “We want to give players what they expect from an extraction shooter in terms of tension and survival, without the need to learn a new set of rules,” he commented.
Andrew Witts, gameplay director, added that the intention is for Marathon to be easy to share with friends, allowing anyone to take control and enjoy the experience without a steep learning curve. Simplicity in action and gameplay are key elements that Bungie is trying to highlight with this title.
After playing Marathon for eight hours, although critics are unsure if it will achieve comparable success to other recent releases, Bungie’s proposal suggests a notable effort to build an accessible title aligned with current expectations in the world of video games. As the release date approaches, interest in seeing how Marathon will perform in such a competitive market continues to grow.
