Bungie's Challenged Action Game Project Marathon Shows Signs of Life

The upcoming sci-fi extraction shooter, the studio's highly-anticipated game, has made a reappearance with the news of a exclusive testing phase scheduled to take place soon.

A Challenging Path to Launch

First announced during the 2023 gaming showcase, the game has experienced a tumultuous creation process. Last fall, Bungie stated plans were to start Alpha tests during the coming year. A period of silence followed, until the project was re-revealed in April with a Sept. 23 launch date. However, following initial testing led to negative feedback, Bungie announced in June that it was delaying Marathon indefinitely.

Avoiding Past Mistakes

Despite Marathon has already encountered its fair share of controversies, the development team appears determined to make certain Marathon doesn't suffer the same outcome as other games. Now, it seems the project's progress is moving forward again, as they just revealed that it has run "several closed playtests to gather feedback on Marathon" since June of this year. The developer is expanding access, enabling more players to catch a glimpse of the experience via an forthcoming "closed technical test."

Exclusive Testing Information

Given the fact that it's a closed technical test, it's naturally limited access than, say, an public test. To gain access in the technical test — which runs from October 22nd to Oct. 28 at 10 a.m. PDT — participants must satisfy the listed pre-requisites:

• Submit an application via their platform
• Reside in Europe or North America
• Have access to a PlayStation 5, Xbox console, or Windows PC (minimum PC specs include an Intel Core i5-6600 processor, supported graphics card, and 8GB RAM)
• Join their community platform
• Complete confidentiality agreement via the Discord server

How to Apply

Registration is currently available, and to be eligible for the technical test, players must complete registration by Oct. 16 at 4 p.m. PDT. PC users can also register via Steam starting on Oct. 13 at 10 a.m. PDT, with Steam applications due by Oct. 26 at 4 p.m. PDT. The developer will contact players who qualify and provide details of the following procedures.

"This is an important checkpoint for us as we evaluate enhancements since Marathon's Alpha, including multiple locations, five runner shells, proximity communication, re-tuned combat pacing, solo queue, enhanced narrative elements, and more," Bungie stated. "That said, the current version is a development build and will only include a portion of what's intended for the game's full release, focused on the initial gameplay moments."

Further Details

More info about the private trial and the game itself can be found on the game's support section. But for individuals who aren't selected for the test (or don't have time), there's still good news: Bungie says a official announcement on the state of the game is the following item on the agenda once the test is over.

"There will be a public update on Marathon's development in the coming months after the Closed Technical Test!" Bungie announced.