Bungie Shares an Update on Marathon, Announces Closed Playtests for Later This Month

Bungie has finally shared an update on its extraction shooter, Marathon, nearly four months after delaying the game's launch date. The developer is opening up closed beta playtests for Marathon, starting later this month. The playtests will be available to invited players in North America and Europe on PS5, PC, and Xbox Series S/X. Bungie called the development an “important checkpoint” that would help the studio test out improvements implemented since Marathon's closed Alpha.

Marathon Playtests Return

The Sony-owned studio said it had been conducting closed Marathon playtests since June to gather feedback. Bungie is set to expand the playtests and will host a closed technical test from October 22 to October 28. The limited, invite-only playtests will be available to players in North America and Europe. Applications for the closed playtest is now live on the Bungie website.

“This is an important checkpoint for us as we test our improvements since Alpha, including three maps, five runner shells, prox chat, re-tuned combat pacing, solo queue, deeper environmental storytelling, and more,” Bungie said in its playtest announcement. “That said, the Technical Test build is a work in progress and will only include a portion of what's planned for Marathon's full release, focused on the early player experience.”

Eligible players interested in joining the closed technical test can fill the form between now and October 16 at 4pm (PT). The test will be covered by a non-disclosure agreement, so players won't be able to share their impressions following the event.

However, Bungie said it would share a public update on Marathon's development in the coming months after the playtest.

Marathon does not yet have a release date
Photo Credit: Sony/ Bungie

Marathon Delay

Marathon was supposed to release on September 23 across PC, PS5, and Xbox Series S/X, but Bungie delayed the shooter indefinitely after underwhelming reception to the game's alpha playtests in May and a plagiarism scandal that sparked questions over the originality of the game's art style.

In a development update in June, Bungie had said it had decided to push back Marathon's release date after gathering player feedback from alpha playtests.

“We've taken this to heart, and we know we need more time to craft Marathon into the game that truly reflects your passion. After much discussion within our Dev team, we've made the decision to delay the September 23rd release,” the studio said at the time.

The studio said it would conduct more closed playtests and roll out new features, including changes to the game's AI enemy encounters, narrative and environmental storytelling, and visual fidelity.

“You'll hear from us again later this Fall when we can share the progress we've made, alongside the game's new release date,” the developer had said.

Marathon, however, does not yet have a new release date. An update on the same can be expected following the closed technical playtest later this month.

In August, Bungie announced the departure of its CEO, Pete Parsons. Parsons, who led the studio through the release of Destiny 2 and its expansions, Sony acquisition, and subsequent reorganisation efforts, said the time was right for a “new beginning” and confirmed that Justin Truman would be taking over as the new studio head.

At the time, Truman said the team was “hard at work” on both Marathon and Destiny and would share more updates on both games later in 2025.