All articles tagged with #bungie
Marathon on PS5 is a dense, hard‑core extraction shooter that emphasizes buildcrafting, punishing AI, and tense PvP, backed by Bungie’s punchy gunplay and striking visuals; its steep learning curve and busy UI may deter casual players, but the server-slam preview hints at a rewarding endgame for dedicated fans.
Marathon’s free beta weekend has players tangled in a gloriously chaotic UI, a tough ammo economy, and uneven PvP pacing. Some praise the visuals; others say the clutter makes menus and combat hard to read. Ammo can be scarce unless you loot caches, and PvP encounters aren’t always frequent, prompting talk of map design tweaks. Bungie says it’s listening and reviewing UI, PvP frequency, and balance, including the NPC security robots that can wipe teams. The server slam runs through March 2, and new players can use beginner mode to loot and escape more easily.
Marathon's Server Slam drew a peak of 143,621 concurrent players on Steam in its first 24 hours, with the free beta also available on PlayStation and Xbox, signaling strong early momentum ahead of its March 5 launch and positioning against fellow extraction shooters like Arc Raiders.
Marathon’s Server Slam starts 26 Feb 2026 at 10:00 PT and runs through 2 Mar, giving all players a free, non-demo pre‑launch test across PS5, PC, and Xbox without preload or PS Plus. It features two zones (Perimeter, Dire Marsh), five factions, five Runner shells, and additional gear, plus rewards earned during the event that carry into the full game when it launches on 5 Mar. Bungie is using the test to stress-test servers ahead of the official release.
During Marathon's pre-launch server slam, the chat filter censored the exact phrase 'Arc Raiders' but allowed variations; a clip of the censorship circulated online, and Bungie later patched the filter.
Bungie’s new extraction shooter Marathon is launching a Server Slam beta with a defined start-time and a rewards track, and the piece explains how to participate and what to expect during the beta.
Bungie’s cinematic Marathon trailer for PS5 builds hype ahead of the game’s server slam starting February 26. The clip showcases atmosphere and art direction rather than gameplay, prompting discussion on whether trailers can carry interest without actual play and if a future campaign could extend Marathon’s longevity beyond a live-service focus.
Kotaku reports that DrDisrespect staged a Marathon sponsorship tease ahead of the server slam, prompting Bungie to publicly deny any paid partnership; Beahm celebrates the stunt as a win, continuing a pattern critics say tests authenticity in the algorithm-driven era.
Sony’s main PlayStation social accounts have been silent for more than 72 hours following Bluepoint Games’ closure, while regional channels kept posting. Fans flooded replies—often angrily—targeting Marathon and Sony’s live‑service strategy. Marathon, Bungie’s PvPvE title launching March 5, remains a focal point of the backlash as Sony contends with leadership criticism and awaits a return to posting.
PlayStation’s shutdown of Bluepoint Games sparked social-media backlash from fans who vow to boycott Bungie’s Marathon and other live-service titles; Marathon is still on track to release March 5 with a beta Feb 26–Mar 2, and while the controversy has drawn attention, analysts expect it to have limited impact on the game.
Destiny 2’s mid-expansion Shadow and Order has been pushed back three months to June 9, 2026, as Bungie undertakes large revisions to address months of player feedback and add sizable quality-of-life updates, including a major loot/progression overhaul (expanded Tiered Gear to all Raids/Dungeons, weapon upgrading, Pantheon 2.0, and more). The delay comes amid a bleak year for the game, with a low concurrent PC player count and an absent public roadmap, fueling concerns about Destiny 2’s health and sparking talk of Bungie shifting attention toward Marathon.
Marathon will bring PlayStation-exclusive weapon charms to Steam and Xbox players as well, with Bungie confirming cross‑platform charms in response to community questions; a server-slam test runs Feb 26–Mar 2 ahead of a March 5 launch. The game has faced past hurdles, including PvE criticisms and a plagiarism scandal, but is pushing forward with broader cosmetic content.
A new extended Marathon gameplay clip shows a squad battling AI and then PvP, highlighting the medic duties of the Triage class, solid gunplay, and striking art design. With the Server Slam kicking off on February 26, early impressions suggest Marathon could be a standout extraction shooter, though its final success remains to be seen.
Bungie’s Marathon, a sci‑fi extraction shooter coming to PS5, will use PS5 Pro’s PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution to render at 5K internally and scale down to a stable 4K image. It launches on March 5, with preorder pricing of $39.99 for Standard, $59.99 for Deluxe, and a $84.99 DualSense controller bundle.
Marathon surged onto Steam's Top Sellers following the reveal of its March release date and the start of pre-orders. The extraction shooter debuted around #7 on Steam, behind Arc Raiders, with a £34.99 / $39.99 price tag, amid a development history that included leadership changes and design overhauls.