Bungie to Unveil Marathon Gameplay in Upcoming Livestream

Bungie is set to unveil more of its highly anticipated PvP extraction shooter, Marathon, with an exclusive gameplay livestream scheduled for this Saturday, April 12—or April 13 depending on your time zone.

Fresh off the heels of a cryptic tweet from the Destiny developer last week, fans were treated to a puzzling 15-second video that quickly sparked an intense community-driven investigation as part of an elaborate alternative reality game (ARG). Within the ASCII art embedded in the clip, players uncovered a short snippet of footage originally seen in the Marathon teaser trailer. Keen-eyed sleuths noted it showed the Runner sprinting down a corridor—a subtle but exciting hint at what’s to come.

Another decoded message read:
“WHEN WILL HE RETURN ERROR ERROR ERROR HAS OCCURRED THE ENEMY RETURNED SYSTEM WARNING: PROTOCOL BREACH EVACUATE THE BASE IMMEDIATELY ALL UNITS REPORT TO STATION INITIATE EMERGENCY PROTOCOL 7 DATA LOSS IMMINENT GOOD LUCK, COMMANDER.”

Bungie praised the global player community, stating: “Thousands of community members across the world worked together to unlock the gameplay reveal date for Bungie’s upcoming extraction shooter Marathon.” The studio confirmed the livestream will air this Saturday at 10 am PDT (San Francisco) / 1 pm EDT (New York) / 6 pm BST (London) / 7 pm CEST (Berlin/Paris) / 9 pm GST (Dubai), or Sunday, April 13 at 2 am JST (Tokyo) / 3 am AEST (Sydney) / 5 pm NZST (Auckland).

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Marathon was first unveiled in May 2023 as a modern reimagining of Bungie’s classic sci-fi franchise, now redefined around themes of mystery, tension, and psychological suspense. Set on the enigmatic planet of Tau Ceti IV, the game casts players as Runners—cybernetically enhanced mercenaries built to endure the planet’s brutal conditions. As they explore the abandoned surface colony, players will scavenge valuable loot including powerful weapons and essential gear.

Since its initial reveal, details have been sparse. A development update in October offered a glimpse into Marathon's evolving mechanics, though the team emphasized how early the game still is in production.

The project has also faced broader industry shifts. Following the unexpected cancellation of Concord, Sony has since recalibrated its live-service strategy. In November 2023, Sony President Hiroki Totoki announced plans to launch only six of the twelve live-service games previously in development by March 2026—a shift that led to the cancellation of the The Last of Us multiplayer title.

Internally, Bungie has experienced its share of turbulence. In July 2024, the company laid off 220 employees—roughly 17% of its workforce—less than a year after cutting another 100 positions. Shortly afterward, reports surfaced that former Marathon director Chris Barrett had been terminated following an internal misconduct investigation. Barrett later filed a lawsuit against Sony Interactive Entertainment and Bungie, seeking over $200 million in damages.

For those eager to see what’s next, the Marathon gameplay reveal will stream live on the official Marathon Twitch channel beginning April 12.