Marathon is a Paid Game With 3 Maps at Launch

Summary

Bungie’s Marathon will be a premium release, not a free-to-play title.
Pricing information is unavailable at this time, but it won’t be a “full price” game.
Marathon is said to be launching with 3 maps.

Bungie’s upcoming first-person shooter game Marathon will not be free-to-play like many may have assumed, but will instead be a paid title. Fans have known about Bungie’s planned Marathon reboot for years, but the studio has just now pulled the curtain back on the extraction shooter with new gameplay videos, trailers, and concrete information on what to expect.

The Marathon gameplay trailer revealed four of the game’s unique playable Runners, intense extraction shooter gameplay, release date, and closed alpha start date. As revealed by the trailer, the Marathon release date is set for September 23. However, those that get invited to the Marathon closed alpha will be able to play the game on April 23.

Marathon’s Preorder Bonuses Discovered on Steam

Preorder bonuses for Bungie’s upcoming multiplayer extraction shooter Marathon have appeared on Steam, leading to speculation about a re-reveal.

While Marathon has been praised by those that have actually played it, the game has also drummed up some negative reactions from fans. It’s been revealed that Marathon will be a premium release instead of a free-to-play game, though it will not be “full-price.” It’s unclear exactly how much Marathon will cost at launch, but fans can rest assured that it won’t be $70, at least. More details on Marathon pricing will be announced this summer. In the meantime, GameSpot has noted that Marathon will have a battle pass and only three maps at launch, with a fourth coming “shortly after.”

Marathon is a Paid Game Instead of a Free-to-Play Release

Marathon being a premium title despite being a PvP, online-only experience combined with the fact that it’s only launching with three maps, has ruffled some feathers. Some fans have started comparing Marathon to Concord (to the point that “Concord” is currently trending on Twitter), a failed live-service hero shooter that was also from Sony. Like Marathon, Concord tried to be a premium release in a genre dominated by free-to-play games, and that did not work out, to say the least.

However, it’s worth pointing out that Bungie has an established track record of releasing hit first-person shooter games, and so fans shouldn’t count the studio out just yet. While Marathon‘s status as a premium game instead of a free-to-play release has raised some eyebrows, it’s entirely possible that its gameplay is quality enough to convince people to buy the game and stick with it long-term. Of course, that all remains to be seen. Marathon‘s success will live and die by its gameplay, and so it will be interesting to see how fans react to the alpha test taking place later this month and how Bungie incorporates fan feedback into the final release when it launches on September 23.