Bungie’s Maligned FPS Marathon Makes Its Return in Closed Technical Test This Month

Sony’s got a great deal riding on Marathon. It requires the game to succeed.

It’s quite unfortunate, then, that the release has been somewhat problematic thus far. Besides the controversy regarding stolen assets, the extraction shooter simply hasn’t garnered significant mainstream interest.

Look, we’re not anticipating a Concord-style debacle here – but unless developer Bungie can determine how to effectively market this project, it’s also facing a challenging road ahead.

Fair enough, the launch – which should have been released by now – has been sent back to the drawing board and redesigned. We will witness the results of the company’s efforts in a Closed Technical Test set to commence from 22nd October through 28th October.

If you wish to participate in the stress evaluation – which will be accessible on PS5 along with additional platforms – you’ll need to register here by 16th October.

Here’s how Bungie characterizes it:

“This is a crucial milestone for us as we evaluate our enhancements since Alpha, encompassing three maps, five runner shells, prox chat, adjusted combat pacing, solo queue, more profound environmental storytelling, and additional features. However, the Technical Test build is a work in progress and will only encompass a segment of what’s intended for Marathon‘s full release, focused on the initial player experience.”

The test will be under NDA, so while we anticipate some assets may leak, don’t expect to see fresh footage streamed online.

Assuming everything goes smoothly, though, this could be a pivotal step towards the game actually launching.

While we’ve been notably critical of Sony’s acquisition of Bungie, we don’t want to see Marathon fail, so we hope this beta showcases substantial improvements to the release.