Marathon is undeniably to Bungie what Mass Effect 5 is to BioWare

Marathon and Mass Effect 5 is in a similar position, and not just because they're both AAA sci-fi action games from talented studios. In fact, it was recently released Marathon could write something of a cautionary tale that BioWare should heed, as it's a poignant reminder of the stakes.

Marathon has had somewhat of a complicated reception. Even before the March 2026 launch, opinions were decidedly mixed: many Marathon previewers highlighted strong gunplay and a compelling style, but also a troubling lack of both gameplay variety and inventiveness. Few early impressions were truly glowing. It didn't help that something positive was buzzing around Marathon was overwhelmed by consistently rave reviews for ARC Raidersanother recently released extraction shooter. In general, the extraction shooting space became cramped in the lead-up to Marathon. Perhaps this is part of why, despite improvements made since launch, MarathonPlayer numbers have plummeted, which paints a worrying picture for Bungie moving forward.

Marathon could be Bungie's Hail Mary Pass

For many people, the original Halo trilogy, plus ODST and Reachwill always represent the pinnacle of Bungie's portfolio. That's true Halo revolutionized shooters, online games and science fiction stories in the medium. It is also true that Halo franchise hasn't been nearly as well received since Bungie transitioned to Halo Studios (formerly 343 Industries). The flaws in the modern Halo releases make the Bungie-developed games look even better in retrospect.

The combination of Bungie's unique strengths, the time period during which Halo rise to prominence, and the less than ideal circumstances of IP's current stewardship, have led to the popular opinion that Halo is the best thing Bungie has ever done. It is certainly the least controversial, often reflected as an example of the golden era of FPS games, a totem of “the good old days”. FateBungie's next project, could never have reached the same heights.

Image via Bungie

And yet Fate IP ended up having a bit of a golden age of its own. As a live service, Fate had the duty and privilege of constant flux and renewal. When the game was at its best, such as after the release of The Final Shape in 2024, it was regularly hailed as a masterpiece, the best the looter-shooter subgenre had to offer. However, as the popularity declined, so did the perception of the game's overall quality. This is to say nothing of the various controversial “live-service-isms” contained within Destiny 2like content vaults, weaponized FOMO and a pretty terrible experience for new players. As such, inherited from Fate is much more complex and messy than that Halo.

This brings us to MarathonBungie's first new IP in over a decade and its first game as a Sony-owned studio. With Destiny 2 is coming to an end, and with Bungie recently laying off the majority of Destiny 2 team, Marathon has suddenly become the studio's only basket, if you will. With no Fate or Halo to fall back on, Marathon needs to capture the hearts and minds of players better, so that Bungie's reputation capital doesn't continue to dwindle.

BioWare needs Mass Effect 5 to survive

Turning to the state of BioWare, it's interesting to see how similar its situation is to Bungie's. About like Halo and FPS games Dragon Age and Mass effect game revolutionized the Western RPG genre; you couldn't really do much better in terms of cinematic, story-driven, choice-focused single-player RPGs, at least at the time. To this day, games that Dragon Age: Origins and Mass Effect 2 is often cited as among the best games ever made, and for good reason.

However, the studio's cultural cache began to decline in the 2010s. First there was Mass Effect 3a game that, while fantastic in many respects, struggled to provide a satisfying conclusion to the epic space opera story. This was followed by the well received but not revolutionary Dragon Age: Inquisition. BioWare may have been slightly past their peak at this point, but all it would have taken was one big release to bring the company back to its former glory.

Reality disappointed. First came Mass Effect: Andromedaa game that, while viewed somewhat more favorably in retrospect, doesn't come close to the prestige, excitement and ingenuity that defined its predecessor. Things got even worse two years later with the release of the short-lived Anthema multiplayer looter-shooter that was diametrically opposed to the historical strengths of BioWare: strong writing, good single-player missions, and a slower-paced mix of combat and storytelling.

Last we got Dragon Age: The Veilguarda game that, while not without its fans, clearly hasn't had the same critical and commercial success as before Dragon Age game. BioWare didn't have to The craftsman to be decent – the game needed to be a narrative-breaker, a smash hit to put the company back on the map. With Mass Effect 5BioWare only has one more chance to do this.

BioWare and Bungie are different, but the stakes are the same

I won't pretend that Bungie and BioWare are in exactly the same position. For one thing, BioWare has suffered a much longer “decline” than Bungie has. After all, it's only been two years since The Final Shape, an expansion that many believe marked the height of it Destiny 2 experience. Conversely, it's been over a decade since BioWare had a big hit. Additionally, and perhaps more importantly, Marathon is a live service game, which means it has the potential to change over time. Mass Effect 5 probably won't be live service, which is good, but it also means it won't evolve in the same way as games like Destiny 2 and Marathon Can.

It goes without saying that the past few years have been difficult for both large and small game studios. Even companies whose recent releases have been successful – like Bluepoint Games and Tango Gameworks – haven't been safe from closure, so more controversial studios like BioWare and Bungie could conceivably get the axe, if things don't change soon. Losing such industry pillars would be devastating, so we hope they can impress Marathon and Mass effect.

Released

March 5, 2026

ESRB

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