As Marathons player count remains at 40,000 active users on Steam, but its average review score on platforms like Opencritic continues to climb higher, there is clearly a gap between the quality of the game and the interest in it. Part of the problem may be that Marathon is an extraction game, a genre that has been quite niche since its inception. On top of that, Arc Raiders can still fill the mining space for players, preventing them from buying in Marathon. What is probably the most important factor of all, however, is that the first hate campaign for Marathon could have scared off many potential buyers, as whether players were watching streams or surfing social media, there was a large group of players who desperately wanted to see the game fail in the first few weeks.
While someone passionately hating a game and rooting for its struggles is certainly pathetic behavior, it's an act that has unfortunately proven successful in the past, with games that Harmony proves as much. Fortunately, it doesn't seem like it Marathon will meet the same fate, as while the audience is arguably smaller than Bungie and Sony would like, it's big enough to keep the lights on for now. And as the failed hate campaign begins to subside and positive word of mouth continues to spread, there is hope that Marathon will have strong legs and expand with time. If Bungie wants to give it the best chance to do just that, then another weekend off might be the way to go.
Marathon review
After nearly a month with Marathon, it feels safe to say that Bungie's new sci-fi extraction shooter should be considered a new multiplayer blockbuster.
Why another weekend off would be a smart move for the marathon Marathon is a really good game that has fallen victim to blind hatred, and another off weekend can prove it…
Marathon's Server Slam, which occurred just days before its proper launch, was seemingly successful in the sense that many posts about how this trial won over players can be found online. Before you start playing Marathon themselves, many were down on the game, whether it was down to its choice of genre, the Marathon art theft controversy, or a general dislike of Bungie due to its recent choices. Through Server Slam, many were awakened to the game's potential, although some were intimidated by its significant learning curve. Of course, another trial period could allow players to show their friends why they love the game so much, and expand Marathons audience.
Balance the critics' averages
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Balance the critics' averages
Light (6) Medium (8) Hard (10)
A second free trial for Marathon would have the added benefit of the positive Marathon reviews to go by too. While the grifters pounded on Marathonmore critics have shared their love for the game. From Game Informer's 9.25 to 9s from IGN and Game Rant, it's clear that those who have actually spent proper time with Marathon stuck to it. Actual gamers, unlike Metacritic's review bombers, are also high on the game, as evidenced by its positive scores on platforms like Steam. Assuming this growing positivity has made it through the cracks of the undeserved bashing the game received at launch, there may well be plenty of players curious about Marathonbut are reluctant to spend $40 on it until they've tried it for themselves. This is where a second weekend off can prove to be a huge success.
Bungie's reputation is also steadily improving thanks to speed Marathon patches, changes and corrections. The studio is moving faster than ever to address criticism from the community, suggesting a bright future for the game if player numbers can start to improve.
A weekend off for the marathon is worth the potential bad optics
However, if a free weekend were to be announced for Marathon just over a month after its launch, the same voices encouraging its demise will no doubt begin to speak again. It's not the best look for a game to become free to play so soon after launch, as it means to players that the player count isn't as high as the developer would like. Still, those who would point and laugh at Bungie take notice Marathons battles over the number of players are not people who would play the game anyway. Marathon is a really good game that has fallen victim to blind hatred, and another weekend off could prove that to those still out of the loop.
Although used by Marathons haters as proof that the game is on death's door, a weekend off is the best tool Bungie has to flex further Marathons increasingly positive reviews and encourages fence sitters to finally take the plunge. If it results in an increased audience, then it would be very worthwhile for the naysayers to use that as more material to bash the game with. Because, at the end of the day, the quality of Marathon speaks for itself, and making sure as many players as possible get their hands on it would be a smart first step on the journey to building a bigger audience.
- Released
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March 5, 2026
- ESRB
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Teens/animated blood, language, violence, in-game purchases, user interaction
- Multiplayer
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Online Multiplayer, Online Co-Op
