Marathon’s New Playtest Reportedly Features New Character, Map, Other Improvements – Rumour

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Due to initial playtests for Bungie’s upcoming game, Marathon, not receiving favorable feedback, causing a delay in its release, fresh playtests are now underway, apparently resulting in numerous enhancements to the game. Destiny 2 dataminer Colony Deaks shared some of these improvements on social media platform X, but unfortunately, Bungie requested the removal of the post due to DMCA takedowns. As reported by GameRant, these improvements involve a range of changes, including the introduction of an entirely new character called Icon.

The freshly introduced character, initially known by the alias Thief, introduces novel gameplay elements. For instance, it enhances combat’s dynamics with features such as a grappling hook and an X-ray vision mode that marks adversaries and treasure chests. Furthermore, the playtest featured enhancements to the portrayal of in-game factions, now incorporating captivating cinematic intros, along with the introduction of Icons.

In the recent playtests, it appears changes were made to the Outpost map, notably including environmental hazards. A new map set aboard the UESC Marathon, the ship famously known from the original 1994 game _Marathon_, was also introduced. This new map contained puzzle elements and other gameplay mechanics encouraging players to delve deeper into the accessible areas to discover more of the map. However, it was mentioned that the UESC Marathon map is still under development.

Towards the tail-end of August, Bungie began extending invitations for the third round of Marathon playtesting. These playtests transpired earlier this month, and as of now, a 30-day user research study is underway, running until October 7. This research study demands that participants devote at least one hour daily to playing Marathon, alongside filling out both daily and weekly surveys. The successful completion of this research study will see participants receiving a $500 gift card, should they reach the required playtime.

After a postponement of Marathon, sneak peeks for an upgraded extraction shooter emerged online, offering glimpses into various enhancements underway for the game. According to leaked reports, these improvements encompassed advancements in lighting and increased density. Additionally, The Black Market materials exchange received a fresh batch of icons, as well as a new sniper weapon called the V99 Channel rifle. This gun was likened to the sniper rifle from Team Fortress 2 in terms of gameplay style.

Initially, the game called “Marathon” was planned to launch on September 23rd. However, due to unfavorable responses during early playtests, both the studio and its owner Sony decided to delay the release of this extraction shooter to a future, undisclosed date. The additional development period granted to Bungie will be utilized to gather more feedback from alpha testing sessions, with the aim of refining and enhancing the game further before its next release.

The game named “Marathon” is being designed to run on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S. It will employ the same atmosphere as the original trilogy of ’90s shooter games known as “Marathon”. If you’re intrigued by those classic titles, they are available for free download on Steam.

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2025-09-08 15:12