Marathon Is Amazing, So Why Does It Already Feel Like It’s in Trouble?

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The game Marathon has been available for almost a week and currently has around 28,745 players online on Steam. While it reached a peak of 88,337 players, this significant drop in numbers could be a worrying sign, despite Marathon being a visually impressive and enjoyable addition to the extraction shooter genre.

While not as devastating as the loss of Concord, it’s still disappointing to see how quickly this Bungie shooter has declined. It still has a ‘Very Positive’ rating on Steam, even with fewer players, but it’s clear the game has lost some of its initial excitement. It’s hard to see what happened to a game that once had so much promise, and probably still does.

While we don’t think Marathon is failing, its recent challenges are worrying. Can Bungie turn things around, or will this game eventually be overlooked? Let’s take a closer look and see if it can overcome its current difficulties.

A Dose Of Reality

The first week for Marathon has given Bungie a bit of a wake-up call when looking at player numbers. Comparing its Steam performance to ARC Raiders, which is currently the most popular game in the extraction shooter genre, shows a clear difference.

Currently, 119,191 people are playing ARC Raiders, significantly more than the 37,225 playing Marathon. Over the past 24 hours, ARC Raiders also saw much higher peak player counts – 167,731 compared to Marathon’s 62,495. Looking at the total number of players ever, ARC Raiders leads with 481,966, while Marathon has reached a peak of 88,337.

Despite its flaws, Marathon is currently receiving mostly positive feedback. However, that could change if the game doesn’t improve in the coming weeks. Players seem to be enjoying it, which was clear from the positive reactions during its recent Server Slam event. Overall, it’s a solid game, even with its problems.

And that’s a factor that prompts a deeper look into what’s currently going wrong for Marathon.

Pre-Launch Problems

It seems like Marathon’s recent difficulties may have started long before the game was even released. Considering how long it was in development and the excitement surrounding its original 2025 launch date, the delay to 2026 likely damaged some of the positive anticipation. The closed alpha test didn’t receive a very good response, which probably contributed to the delay – a particularly bad sign for a game entering the already competitive shooter market.

The accusations of plagiarism really hurt the game, and even though Bungie worked to fix its reputation, the damage was already done. Antireal’s claim that she waited until after the initial test phase to share her concerns was a significant setback. Giving her credit as a visual design consultant in the game was a good move, but it feels like it might not be enough to fully restore the reputation of Marathon.

The weekend preview of Server Slam, held before the game’s official launch, caused almost as much trouble as the final release. Players complained that the interface was confusing, there was too much player-versus-player combat, enemies felt clunky, and it was hard for newcomers to the shooter genre to pick up. These issues likely discouraged many potential players from trying the game when it finally launched.

Honestly, even before the game came out, there was a real lack of positive feeling surrounding it – something that would’ve probably killed most games instantly. But somehow, Marathon had built up enough good reputation to get people to give it a chance. Which is why it’s so frustrating to see everything that’s gone wrong just in the last week.

Friction-Induced Fragility

We specifically used the term ‘friction’ to explain the issues Marathon has been facing recently. A key area for improvement is the onboarding process. The game revolves around collecting loot and then safely reaching an extraction point, which naturally leads players to try and eliminate opponents and enemies along the way.

Surprisingly, the AI-controlled robots in Marathon were actually more challenging than facing other human players. New players often struggled to defeat them and collect the equipment they needed to progress.

It’s good to have challenging video games, but when challenges feel unfair due to imbalances, they become frustrating instead of rewarding. The fact that these issues continued even after players reported them during the Server Slam test event was particularly discouraging, and many felt like the developers weren’t listening.

Players who successfully battled past enemies found that managing their collected items was surprisingly difficult. The game’s interface, while visually appealing, prioritized style over practicality, making it hard to use. While good graphics are important, they shouldn’t make the game less enjoyable.

The game’s high difficulty discouraged solo players, even with a feature that protected their items if they chose to play alone. This further frustrated players and contributed to the game’s existing problems.

Losing all your collected items upon death is a common feature in Soulslike games, and it usually works well within that genre. While it’s a great addition to extraction shooters, the lack of a way to recover lost loot depends heavily on the game being balanced. Players need to be encouraged to try again without feeling constantly frustrated by unfair difficulty and the risk of losing everything repeatedly.

The game’s contracts were confusingly linked to how you upgraded your character, but they weren’t very engaging. Most of them just involved collecting items or defeating enemies, which quickly became repetitive and didn’t feel important when there was more interesting stuff to do. Even we, who usually complete every objective in a game, found ourselves wanting to skip them.

Players also voiced concerns about how the game makes money, something Bungie has often found challenging. The pre-order rewards caused frustration too, and the studio has tried to fix this with the start of the new season. These problems really should have been resolved before the game launched, and their presence doesn’t bode well for its long-term success.

Despite all its issues, the game Marathon is actually receiving a lot of positive feedback. It might seem odd, but it’s a surprisingly well-made shooting game.

Finding Its Fans

I can totally see why people are still playing this game! Honestly, it’s not a miracle it hasn’t completely fallen apart with all the issues it has. What really grabbed me, and probably keeps others hooked too, is how well it mixes hero shooters with the extraction genre. The different ‘shells’ they’ve added are a brilliant touch – they really keep things fresh and interesting each time you play.

We were particularly impressed with the Assassin and Thief shells – their special abilities proved really useful during gameplay. Beyond the shells, the gun combat is smooth, satisfying, and becomes even more enjoyable as you progress. The game’s visuals and art style create a unique atmosphere, though the maps sometimes feel a bit empty. Fortunately, this is something that could likely be fixed with updates.

Players on Steam clearly love this game, and it’s easy to understand why. The mix of player-versus-player and player-versus-environment gameplay is unpredictable and quickly draws you in. It’s the kind of game that creates lasting memories – every match is a thrilling experience you’ll be talking about with friends for hours. That’s why the game’s recent decline in popularity is particularly disappointing.

We’re hopeful for its success, but it could have launched much smoother if more time had been spent perfecting everything beforehand.

Was The Launch Version of Marathon Enough?

We think the game’s launch could have gone much smoother if key features like the Cryo Archive and Ranked mode hadn’t been missing. Delaying important feedback because of this was a preventable mistake.

Many players prefer to read reviews from experts before buying a game, so the absence of those reviews likely discouraged some people. Bungie really should have considered this before launch.

The Season 1 Pass and the limited options for character customization were problems that could have been avoided early on. However, it’s positive that Bungie quickly addressed player feedback and made improvements to regain goodwill regarding these issues.

So, let’s talk about what’s happened with Marathon. It’s positive that Bungie is trying to fix the issues players have been raising. However, the game is now in a critical position. Players are becoming more critical and are already frustrated with the problems it’s faced, meaning Bungie can’t afford to make any more mistakes if they want to keep the game’s community engaged.

As a fan of extraction shooters, what really makes or breaks a game for me is how quickly it gets you hooked, how easy it is to learn, and whether it keeps you coming back for more. Honestly, Marathon is still in the running in all those areas, but it’s definitely walking a tightrope right now. It needs to keep building on what it has, or it risks losing players.

We’re relieved things didn’t fall apart spectacularly, like with the Concord. We really want this game, which is enjoyable when it’s working well, to improve and become one of the best in its category.

Just so you know, the opinions in this article are the author’s own and don’t reflect the official stance of GamingBolt.

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2026-03-13 21:16