Former Marathon art director fears “unproven, unknown” games like the FPS may not have a future — “We felt like we were sort of getting away with something”

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After a trailer for Bungie’s new sci-fi shooter, Marathon, was leaked, the developers officially announced the game will be released on March 5, 2026. It will be available on Xbox Series X|S, PC, and PlayStation 5, and you can pre-order it now.

Bungie pushed back the release of Marathon, initially planned for last September, due to negative feedback from its early Closed Alpha test. Players found the gameplay lacking in depth, missed features like nearby voice chat, and felt the game’s visuals were bland and lacked immersion. The game also faced criticism over allegations of art theft.

Marathon received a major update in December, demonstrating that the developers have worked hard to fix previous issues and improve the game. This has generated a lot of excitement, and preorders on both Steam and PlayStation have quickly risen to the top of the charts, suggesting a strong launch is likely.

The game has made a surprising comeback, considering it started from a fairly obscure base – the original Marathon games were quite specialized and created in the 1990s. However, Joseph Cross, who previously directed art for Marathon, wonders if similar, unconventional and unestablished projects will continue to get the chance to grow and succeed.

Creating ‘Marathon’ was a huge undertaking, and the studio really took a chance on it. We often felt lucky to be getting away with it, honestly. Looking back, it’s amazing to think studios are willing to invest so much money – hundreds of millions of dollars – in unproven projects for six to eight years. I wonder how long this will continue. I’ve been involved in a few of these ambitious projects now, and it makes you think.

Cross explained that developers don’t always naturally consider the financial side of their work or the need to make a profit. Focusing on those things can stifle creativity and make people shy away from taking risks. Sometimes, developers need to embrace artistic freedom and trust their own vision.

It’s easy to lose sight of the fact that this project needs funding, and each passing day increases the debt. We’re not generating revenue, and the studio isn’t either. That’s a major concern, especially when you’re trying to foster creativity – it feels like you can’t take any chances that might add to the financial strain.

It’s incredibly challenging when your work is questioned, isn’t it? You have to trust your own artistic vision and experience to get through it. Actually, all successful art – even work created for commercial purposes – faces doubt and skepticism at first, until it finally gains acceptance.

It’s easy to see why people feel that way, especially with exciting new games like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and ARC Raiders winning awards and attracting tons of players. Other original titles, such as Hi-Fi Rush, Dispatch, and Blue Prince, are also gaining a lot of attention. And Elden Ring, which many consider the best game of the last ten years, proved to be a successful gamble for FromSoftware as they ventured into the open-world style of gameplay.

However, comments from Cross indicate that many publishers seem to believe taking risks isn’t paying off, and they’re becoming less willing to gamble on new ideas in game development. I really hope this isn’t true. While sequels, remakes, and remasters are fine, it’s the games that dare to be different and innovate that truly make gaming great.

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2026-01-20 23:09