Bungie has introduced it’s delaying its extraction shooter Marathon as it really works to enhance gameplay and add extra options to the title. The choice follows blended participant response to the sport’s alpha playtest and a plagiarism scandal that led gamers to query the originality of the sport’s distinct artwork fashion. The studio didn’t present a brand new launch date for Marathon however mentioned it might share an replace on the sport’s progress and the brand new launch date this fall.
Marathon Delayed
In a development update shared on its web site on Tuesday, Bungie mentioned it had listened carefully to participant suggestions round Marathon’s reveal and closed alpha playtests that concluded in Could earlier than deciding to push again the sport’s launch.
“We have taken this to coronary heart, and we all know we’d like extra time to craft Marathon into the sport that actually displays your ardour. After a lot dialogue inside our Dev staff, we have made the choice to delay the September twenty third launch,” the studio mentioned.
“The Alpha take a look at created a possibility for us to calibrate and focus the sport on what is going to make it uniquely compelling—survival below strain, thriller and lore round each nook, raid-like endgame challenges, and Bungie’s genre-defining FPS fight.
“We’re utilizing this time to empower the staff to create the extreme, high-stakes expertise {that a} title like Marathon is constructed round. This implies deepening the connection between the builders and the sport’s most essential voices: our gamers.”
Adjustments Coming to Marathon
Bungie mentioned it might proceed closed playtests over the following few months and roll out updates and new options for testers. The developer detailed the modifications it intends to make to Marathon, with a give attention to the survival side of the sport. The studio mentioned it might work to make AI enemy encounters more difficult and fascinating, runs extra rewarding and fight extra tense and strategic.
Adjustments are additionally coming to Marathon’s story by way of narrative and environmental storytelling and an general darker tone that matches the themes of the unique Marathon trilogy. Bungie mentioned it might additionally enhance the sport’s visible constancy and add social options like proximity chat.
“You may hear from us once more later this Fall once we can share the progress we have made, alongside the sport’s new launch date,” the developer mentioned.
Marathon Plagiarism Controversy
Marathon was set to launch on PS5, PC and Xbox Series S/X on September 23. The sport, a reboot of Bungie’s unique Marathon trilogy from the Nineties, is a team-based extraction shooter, the place groups of three “Runners” compete towards rival groups and AI enemies searching for higher gear and loot.
Final month, Bungie was accused of plagiarism by a Scottish artist, who mentioned Marathon utilised property from her work with out her permission. Following the allegations, the studio acknowledged the incident and claimed a former employees member had included the artist’s work within the sport’s alpha construct with out giving her due credit score. The Future maker mentioned it might conduct a “thorough overview” of Marathon’s in-game property and attain out to the artist to debate the difficulty and do proper by her.
Marathon’s delay marks one more setback for Sony’s stay service push. Whereas the PlayStation dad or mum nonetheless has ‘video games as a service’ titles like Marathon and Fairgame$ within the pipeline, it has walked again on its huge guess on the style, cancelling a number of stay service initiatives that had been in improvement at its first-party studios.
Final yr, Sony took its stay service shooter Harmony offline after the sport failed to draw gamers at launch. The corporate additionally shut down developer Firewalk Studios and mentioned it did not hit its targets with the sport.