Bungie Reveals Marathon Release Date & Info, But No, Players Won’t Be Getting In For Free

If you were expecting Bungie’s upcoming extraction shooter, Marathon, to be F2P, you’re going to want to change your expectations. The developer announced a release date of September 23 during the Marathon Gameplay Reveal Showcase this weekend, noting that it will be available on Steam, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S with full cross-play and cross-save at launch.

The game will also come with a box price, although exactly how much has yet to be stated. This may come as a surprise to some, seeing as games like extraction shooters tend to require a large number of people in matches – in this case, 21 – and a box price can be a barrier to entry for a lot of individuals, cutting down on the pool of players.

As you’d probably expect, people have questioned the decision, including the individuals on the Friends Per Second Podcast who were able to ask director Joe Ziegler why the company decided to go in this direction with monetization. In his response, he stated that the company is “hoping” that what they’ve shown will encourage players to “take the leap” on purchasing the game. He also noted that Bungie is “committed to delivering on seasons past [launch] that will continuously offer to evolve the game without an increase to the box price”.

He goes on to say that he hopes players understand that Bungie is “focused on committing to making this a game that’s really awesome” and notes that everyone has their own idea about what makes a good price.”

Mostly, it seems like they’re just hoping players will roll with a box price. Some will definitely appreciate it if they don’t end up having to pay more later on. Of course, at this point, we’ll just have to wait and see how it plays out for them.