Bungie has issued a denial to rumors circulating online suggesting plans to merge the intellectual properties of its games Destiny and Marathon. The clarification comes amid ongoing questions regarding the future direction of both franchises.
Marathon creative director Julia Nardin directly addressed the speculation on Twitter/X, stating, “As someone who’s worked on both Destiny and Marathon, I can confirm that the “leak” about us merging the two IPs is fake. They share a lot of the same Bungie DNA, but like siblings they’re also their own independent entities. Please don’t believe everything you read online.”
Bungie has recently announced adjustments to Marathon's development roadmap. The game is moving away from seasonal content in favor of a PvE focus, and its next major update has been delayed. Originally slated for September 22, this update will now launch on December 8, with another significant update planned for March. A smaller update on October 6 will reset the game's progression and economy in preparation for these changes.
In a follow-up post, Bungie clarified that the December and March updates for Marathon will be provided free of charge to all owners of the game, explicitly stating, “If you own Marathon, the December and March updates will be available at no additional cost. That includes gameplay content such as new zones, weapons, and Runners.” This announcement has led to speculation about a potential free-to-play model supported by paid expansions, though no expansions have been officially announced.
The development comes after a period of fan outcry, with players frequently demanding a return to the Destiny universe during Sony's State of Play livestreams. This sentiment stems from Bungie having paused work on Destiny 2 to concentrate on Marathon. Steam player counts for Marathon, while not a complete picture for a multiplatform title, show a significant drop from its March launch peak. The game's 24-hour peak concurrent player count on Steam has fallen to 2,464 from an all-time high of 77,358.