Bungie Finally Ready to Show Us Marathon Gameplay, Confirms Livestream Date

Bungie is set to unveil more of its highly anticipated PvP extraction shooter, Marathon, with an exclusive gameplay livestream scheduled for this Saturday, April 12 (or Sunday, April 13 depending on your location).

The developer behind Destiny recently sparked intrigue with a cryptic tweet featuring a strange 15-second video. The clip quickly became the center of an elaborate alternate reality game (ARG), prompting fans worldwide to dig deeper. Within the ASCII art embedded in the video, players discovered a hidden snippet of footage from Marathon’s original trailer—specifically showing a Runner sprinting down a corridor.

Another intriguing message surfaced: “WHEN WILL HE RETURN ERROR ERROR ERROR HAS OCCURRED THE ENEMY RETURNED SYSTEM WARNING: PROTOCOL BREACH EVACUATE THE BASE IMMEDIATELY ALL UNITS REPORT TO STATION INITIATE EMERGENCY PROTOCOL 7 DATA LOSS IMMINENT GOOD LUCK, COMMANDER.”

Bungie later confirmed that thousands of community members collaborated globally to uncover the reveal date for Marathon. The upcoming livestream will air at 10 am PDT (San Francisco) / 1 pm EDT (New York) / 6 pm BST (London) / 7 pm CEST (Berlin/Paris) / 9 pm GST (Dubai) or Sunday, April 13 at 2 am JST (Tokyo) / 3 am AEST (Sydney) / 5 pm NZST (Auckland).

Originally unveiled in May 2023, Marathon serves as a modern reimagining of Bungie’s iconic franchise, embracing themes of mystery, suspense, and psychological tension. Set on the enigmatic planet of Tau Ceti IV, the game casts players as Runners—cybernetic mercenaries engineered to endure the planet's extreme conditions. As you explore the remnants of a long-lost colony, you'll hunt for valuable loot including powerful weapons and essential gear.

Since its debut announcement, details have been sparse. While a development update was shared in October offering insight into Marathon’s evolving mechanics, the studio emphasized how early the project still is in production.

Meanwhile, Sony has also been reassessing its live-service strategy following the cancellation of Concord. In November 2023, Sony President Hiroki Totoki announced plans to launch only six out of twelve planned live-service titles by March 2026, a shift that led to the discontinuation of The Last of Us multiplayer game.

Bungie has faced internal turbulence as well. In July 2024, the studio conducted another round of layoffs, impacting 220 employees—or 17% of its global workforce—less than a year after cutting 100 roles. Shortly afterward, former Marathon director Chris Barrett was reportedly terminated following an internal misconduct investigation. Barrett later filed a lawsuit against both Sony Interactive Entertainment and Bungie, seeking over $200 million in damages.

Don’t miss the next big step in Marathon’s journey—tune in live via the [ttpp] official Marathon Twitch channel [/ttpp] on April 12.