Marathon's next play is not as obvious as it seems

Marathon is a solid extraction game that has struggled to find the larger audience it desperately needs to survive, and Bungie and Sony may have to go back to the drawing board to ensure the game avoids that worst-case scenario. Playing Marathon requires a learning curve and drops $40, and it's really hard for live service games to attract players when there's a paywall involved. The first few months have been difficult Marathonbut the extraction shooter still holds promise.

The good news is that there's still time for Bungie and Sony to swing and do Marathon a free-to-play game. Bungie's latest game recently had an uptick in players Marathons free-to-play week. It was a step in the right direction, and its increased player count was a sign that going free-to-play might be inevitable.

If all else fails, Bungie can use the Free-to-Play approach like Marathon's Hail Mary

To help push Marathon Season 2, Bungie hosted a free period from June 2 to June 9, which was extended by two days to June 11 to compensate for server issues that plagued players at the start of the promotional event. It wasn't an ideal kickoff, but it still managed to bring new players into the fold. Bungie's hope was that players who enjoyed their time with the extraction shooter would spend $40 once the free event was over, but that wasn't quite the case.

With each passing day of the week off, Marathon player numbers continued to drop. The week peaked at 40,000 players, so losing players instead of gaining them over the course of the week is not a good sign. It's hard to say exactly what caused the player count to drop, but the learning curve can definitely be daunting to get over when it's only a week to get used to the game. With other free-to-play options out there that are simpler, some players may simply have seen learning Marathon as an inefficient use of time if they had no intention of purchasing the game when the promotion ended.

Going free to play isn't a cure, but it's better than nothing

Marathon may have failed to retain many new players with its free week, but it still showed that players are much more willing to try it out when there isn't a paywall attached to the experience. Of course, some like extraction shooters ARC Raiders is a paid product, but Embark Studios' hit is a juggernaut that's incredibly difficult to directly compete with anyway.

Marathon can still turn things around, but Sony may need to temper its expectations

For Marathon In order to maintain a healthy, dedicated player base, Sony has to accept that it won't topple ARC Raiders from its throne. Marathon is a much more niche take on the extraction shooter genre, and it simply won't appeal to all competitive shooter fans. Marathons cool lore and more complex gameplay give the game its own identity, but the $40 price tag is likely keeping its own audience away.

The price probably isolates even longtime Bungie lovers. There is plenty of debate among Bungie fans right now as to whether Marathon is to blame Destiny 2 final. Destiny 2 No longer receiving updates was likely caused by many complicated factors, but at least it had the benefit of being free to play. Bungie has already demonstrated with Destiny 2 that it has what it takes to build a live service game that thrives under the free-to-play model, so it does Marathons price even more frustrating.

Sony's live service game hasn't fared well. The failure of Harmony was a good example of how many players will avoid a live service game if it is not free to play. There is no way to see into the future and know if going free to play will save Marathonbut it's a risk worth taking.

Released

March 5, 2026

ESRB

Teen/animated blood, language, violence, in-game purchases, user interaction