Bungie unveils ‘Tarkov’-style extraction shooter ‘Marathon’

Destiny 2 developer Bungie has announced Marathon — a multiplayer shooter that will task players with exploring an interstellar colony in search of loot.

Announced during the PlayStation Showcase last night (May 24), Marathon will see Bungie revisit its first-ever game — 1994’s Marathon — with a follow-up set in the same universe.

While the first game was a single-player shooter with a deathmatch-style multiplayer mode, the upcoming Marathon will be a wholly-multiplayer game, tasking players with controlling cybernetic mercenaries who battle each other on the planet of Tau Ceti IV for “riches, fame, and infamy”.

Furthermore, Marathon will be an extraction shooter — a type of game popularised by hardcore shooter Escape From Tarkov and recently seen in Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2‘s DMZ mode, which tasks players with entering an area in search of loot, competing with other players to grab gear and escape with it alive.

While no release date for Marathon has been announced just yet, the title has been confirmed to launch on PC and PS5 with full cross-play functionality. You can check out its first trailer below.

In a PlayStation.Blog article, game director Christopher Barrett shared that Marathon will tell “player-driven stories” and “persistent, evolving zones” to explore.

“Beyond just the ‘story of your last run’ however, we want to give players the chance to affect these persistent zones and the larger world as a result,” shared Barrett.

“For example, imagine a crew discovering a previously undiscovered artifact that, when activated, opens a new area of the map for all players to explore. In essence, we’re creating a game where the actions of players can have ramifications for the world and players with each unfolding season.”

However, fans may have some time to wait before getting their hands on the shooter. Scott Taylor, the game’s general manager, has shared that there is a “long way to go before release,” and said a timeline for its launch was not available.

However, Taylor added that “the next time you hear from us about Marathon, we’ll be able to show you the gameplay and will be much closer to launch”.

Alongside Marathon, the PlayStation Showcase also saw Konami announce a long-rumoured remake of Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater.