Destiny 2 developer Bungie confirms rumored revival of Marathon, its pre-Halo shooter

Marathon
(Image credit: Bungie)

We finally know what Bungie is working on besides Destiny 2: a revival of Marathon, the sci-fi FPS it built before even the original Halo days, as a PvP extraction shooter coming to PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC with full cross-play and cross-save.  

Confirming leaks from October, Marathon was unveiled during today's live PlayStation Showcase. "A sci-fi PvP extraction shooter, Marathon will find players engaging one another as cybernetic mercenaries known as Runners, exploring a lost colony on the planet of Tau Ceti IV in search of riches, fame, and infamy," Bungie editorial lead Brian Ekberg explains in a PlayStation blog post

"A massive ghost ship hangs in low orbit over a lost colony on Tau Ceti IV," the official website teases. "The 30,000 souls who call this place home have disappeared without a trace. Strange signals hint at mysterious artifacts, long-dormant ai, and troves of untold riches. You are a Runner, venturing into the unknown in a fight for fame… and infamy. Who among you will write their names across the stars?" 

Marathon will be Bungie's first new game since work on Destiny started over a decade ago. Former Destiny art director Christopher Barrett, now game director on Marathon, says "it’s not a direct sequel to the originals, but something that certainly belongs in the same universe and that feels like a Bungie game." 

Importantly, Barrett confirms Marathon won't have any sort of single-player campaign. "With the PvP experience as our foundation, we’re creating opportunities for player-driven stories to unfold, stories that are integrated with the overarching game narrative," he says. "We’re building a world full of persistent, evolving zones, where players create their own journey with every run they take." 

General manager Scott Taylor repeatedly asserts that there's still a lot of work to be done on Marathon, and my read is that we probably won't see this thing until 2025 at the earliest, though that's a soft estimate at best. 

Bungie's also unveiled the showcase for Destiny 2: The Final Shape, and it looks like Cayde is back.  

Austin Wood
Senior writer

Austin has been a game journalist for 12 years, having freelanced for the likes of PC Gamer, Eurogamer, IGN, Sports Illustrated, and more while finishing his journalism degree. He's been with GamesRadar+ since 2019. They've yet to realize his position is a cover for his career-spanning Destiny column, and he's kept the ruse going with a lot of news and the occasional feature, all while playing as many roguelikes as possible.

Read more
Marathon key art
Marathon: Everything we know so far
Two Splitgate 2 players shooting each other in a new map
Splitgate was eclipsed by Halo Infinite's launch, and 4 years later Splitgate 2 is back with an open alpha to dance on Master Chief's grave
A collection of Splitgate 2 screenshots as part of GamesRadar+'s Big in 2025 roundup
"We don't want to just be the 'Halo meets Portal' team": Splitgate 2 wants to to evolve beyond its inspirations
Destiny 2 Kell's Fall art
"If your cake is trash, nobody wants to eat it": At a tough time for Destiny 2, Bungie drops an Exotic mission promising vampire vibes, a cool shotgun, and a finale with bite
Destiny 2 Episode 3 Heresy screenshot of Eris Morn
Destiny 2's new Episode suggested the upcoming Apollo expansion will launch on July 15, but that date has mysteriously been scrubbed from the game
FBC Firebreak hero image for Big in 2025
After Alan Wake 2 and Control, FBC: Firebreak represents a bold new frontier for Remedy: "It's time to expand the Remedy Connected Universe into shared spaces and brave something new"
Latest in Games
Pillars of Eternity
10 years later, in a post-Baldur's Gate 3 and Avowed world, Obsidian is giving its own throwback CRPG Pillars of Eternity a turn-based combat mode
Destiny 2 Lightfall
When Destiny 2 "weekly active users dropped lower and faster than we'd seen since 2018," Bungie assembled an A-Team to put out some fires: "We needed to do something"
Astro Bot
Astro Bot went through 23 pitch iterations before its director promised PlayStation "happy gameplay" and "overflowing charm," though it did once end with robot decapitation that made "some people really upset"
Tomb Raider
5 years after Avengers, 2 years after its last layoffs, and who knows how long before Perfect Dark and Tomb Raider return, Crystal Dynamics announces another round of layoffs
AI Limit
"AI is not as effective as it might appear": Dev of AI-focused Soulslike RPG says they didn't use any AI-generated content and it can't match "genuine creativity"
The First Berserker: Khazan protagonist
The First Berserker: Khazan isn't even out yet, but the new Soulslike RPG already has over 1,300 94% positive reviews on Steam from early buyers
Latest in News
Pillars of Eternity
10 years later, in a post-Baldur's Gate 3 and Avowed world, Obsidian is giving its own throwback CRPG Pillars of Eternity a turn-based combat mode
Destiny 2 Lightfall
When Destiny 2 "weekly active users dropped lower and faster than we'd seen since 2018," Bungie assembled an A-Team to put out some fires: "We needed to do something"
Velma, Daphne, Fred, Shaggy, and Scooby-Doo looking at a giant key which is also a clue
Netflix is rebooting Scooby-Doo as a live-action series from the producer of Supergirl and The Flash centered around a "supernatural murder" at a summer camp
Astro Bot
Astro Bot went through 23 pitch iterations before its director promised PlayStation "happy gameplay" and "overflowing charm," though it did once end with robot decapitation that made "some people really upset"
Tomb Raider
5 years after Avengers, 2 years after its last layoffs, and who knows how long before Perfect Dark and Tomb Raider return, Crystal Dynamics announces another round of layoffs
AI Limit
"AI is not as effective as it might appear": Dev of AI-focused Soulslike RPG says they didn't use any AI-generated content and it can't match "genuine creativity"