Bungie Studio Head Poria Torkan, alongside the Head of Product and GM of Marathon, Josh Dean, revealed plans to “evolve” Marathon as Bungie continues to navigate large inner modifications.
In a September 21 video message to followers, Torkan and Dean addressed what’s subsequent for Marathon, saying the sport is an “essential half” of shaping the place Bungie goes subsequent.
“It didn’t attain as many gamers as we’d hoped,” Torkan admitted. “However we additionally know and perceive that the sport wants to evolve.”
“We’re gonna anchor on what makes Marathon particular and evolve it past the style constraints that we’ve positioned on it. We’re going to develop Marathon right into a deeper survival expertise that provides gamers extra methods to tackle its harmful alien world,” Dean continued.
He outlined the staff’s purpose for Marathon by the top of yr one, saying that Bungie hopes to “protect what you already love, however discover methods to present gamers with extra company in the way you play, whether or not in PvE or PvP.”
This information follows Bungie’s plans to delay Marathon’s subsequent large replace from late September to December. In a blog post revealed concurrently Torkan and Dean’s video message, Bungie reiterated that it “nonetheless [has] so much deliberate for [its] October Dusk Refresh and Symbiosis replace in December.” It additionally promised that gamers will get extra Marathon information “later this week” relating to their imaginative and prescient for the way forward for the sport.
Right this moment, we’re sharing extra about the way forward for Bungie, together with our plans for Destiny, Marathon, and the way we’re altering the best way we work.
Learn extra on https://t.co/ZkmLWmaQZr: https://t.co/QbDwADGinr pic.twitter.com/F5tcXF0TsN
— Bungie (@Bungie) September 21, 2026
Marathon had a tough begin since its launch in March; whereas it acquired essential acclaim upon launch, in accordance to knowledge from SteamsCharts, it at the moment boasts round 1,390 energetic gamers, with a peak of simply 2,630 within the final 24 hours. That is merely a small slice of Destiny 2’s comparatively large playerbase, and it appears the staff at Bungie has taken discover of this, given its renewed efforts to reshape the sport.
Maybe most significantly, the 2 additionally confirmed that no, Marathon isn’t changing Destiny, which had its personal thrilling bulletins from the duo in that very same video. Gamers, rejoice; there are “extra tales to inform” within the Destiny universe, and Bungie needs to return the sequence to “its unique promise” of “awe-inspiring thriller, the sense of discovery, and the promise of a neighborhood of Guardians rallying collectively, raging in opposition to unimaginable odds.”
This comes as welcome information for Destiny followers, as Bungie infamously shuttered future content material updates for Destiny 2 in Could. The announcement did not go over properly, leaving gamers equal components confused and distraught — but it surely appears the developer has determined in opposition to abandoning the IP within the wake of this sturdy neighborhood response.
This double-whammy of thrilling bulletins comes after main shifts for Bungie over the previous couple of months. PlayStation CEO Herman Hulst confirmed “vital” layoffs for the studio in June, which included “many of the Destiny staff and a few Marathon staff members.” The developer additionally revealed plans to sublease a good portion of its large campus in Bellevue, Washington earlier this month.
With its renewed concentrate on Destiny and a sharper take a look at the way forward for Marathon, Bungie seems to be coming into a brand new, thrilling period, and followers cannot wait to see what it is cooking up subsequent.
Virginia Glaze
Information Editor
Virginia (she/her) is IGN’s Information Editor. With ten years of expertise reporting on video games and leisure, she’s obtained a storied background within the preventing recreation neighborhood, influencer information, and viral on-line developments. Discover her on Twitter at @TheeMissGlaze.