Marathon’s Former Art Director Didn’t Take Early Comparisons to Concord Personally

by

I’ve been really excited for Bungie’s new game, Marathon, which is still on track to come out on March 5th. But honestly, I’ve seen a lot of people online complaining about how it looks. Some even said it reminded them of Concord, Sony’s game that didn’t really take off. It’s interesting to hear from Joseph Cross, one of the art directors on Marathon, who said it was tough to not take those comparisons personally. It’s good to know they’re aware of the feedback, and I’m still hoping the game will look amazing when it finally releases!

In an interview with ReaderGrev, Cross explained that criticism doesn’t bother them much because they’re proud of the work the team accomplished. They believe the project is genuinely good and has potential. Cross clarified they weren’t involved in the game’s design or direction, so they can only focus on what was within their control, and they’re happy with their contributions.

He acknowledged he might face criticism from some online fans, but he remains proud of his accomplishments during his time at Bungie.

No matter how much negativity there is online, or what people dislike about the creative choices or company decisions, they can’t diminish what truly matters to me. I’m definitely disappointed, but it feels more like experiencing a bit of bad luck than a real loss.

So, in that interview, Cross talked about why he left Bungie. Basically, he wanted to work on more of his own projects and have a bit more creative freedom. He pointed out that after 15 years at the studio, he’d only really gotten to focus on two big games – Destiny and Marathon – and that played a big role in his decision to move on.

I wasn’t one of the people who started Bungie, and it’s not my company,” he said. “I’m aware that I don’t have an unlimited number of projects I can take on, and I’m not getting any younger. I’ll have spent around 15 years working on just two games for Bungie – Destiny and Marathon, with some film work in between. After six years, and just before the final stages of development, I felt really proud of what we had accomplished. I also had a good understanding of what the work would be like after the game launched, with ongoing updates and support for a live service game.”

Back in December, Cross announced he was leaving Bungie. A month later, the studio confirmed that Marathon would be released soon. If you’re interested in learning more about this extraction shooter, you can find its PC requirements online. The game features a unique character called the Rook, a ‘Free Kit-styled Runner,’ who offers a different gameplay experience than Scavengers in Escape From Tarkov, and forces players to make difficult decisions.

Read More

2026-01-21 16:41