New details of Bungie's Marathon surface online following delay earlier this year

New changes coming to Bungie’s delayed extraction shooter Marathon have appeared online, stemming from closed playtests held after its controversial delay earlier this year.

The details:

• Earlier this year, Marathon, a multiplayer reboot of Bungie’s pre-Halo FPS IP, was delayed amid a controversy involving stolen artwork being found in its closed alpha playtest. As a result, the studio has used the additional time to review all of the game’s assets and address crucial feedback from players who criticized the lack of proximity chat, absence of a solo game mode, and bland map.
• In a new report from The Game Post, the publication has confirmed that since the delay, Bungie has held several small playtests introducing a number of changes. The biggest difference is that proximity voice chat is now in the game and fully functional, allowing players from opposing squads to communicate in the same area.
• Other gameplay changes include the time-to-kill being sped up, healing items now working over time instead of instantly, and player deaths now being handled differently with bodies remaining in a puddle of blue blood similarly to the original trailer rather than disintegrating.
• Marathon’s visuals and UI have also been upgraded since the original Closed Alpha build. All placeholder icons have now been replaced, menus have been tidied up, and the map’s foliage, lighting, and texture work have been improved.
• Bungie has now added unlockable titles similar to those in Destiny 2, which are earned by completing certain objectives outlined in the in-game Codex. It’s also said that the game will feature various cosmetics and a firing range, but that there still appears to be no plans for a solo mode.
• It’s still unknown when exactly Marathon will arrive, but Bungie is currently targeting a release before March 31, 2026 across PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.

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