Before Halo and Destiny, Bungie worked on Marathon. Now, with Sony, the developer is returning to its earliest property as a PvP extraction shooter.
Playing as Runners, you’ll explore a lost colony on Tau Ceti IV, looking to make it big and earn riches and fame. Speaking on the PlayStation Blog Marathon, General Manager Scott Taylor and Game Director Christopher Barrett dove in on why it was hard to keep this project under wraps and why they decided to work on this game specifically.
It isn’t a sprint; it’s a Marathon
“We have a tremendous amount of respect for the original Marathon games and, from the very start, we’ve wanted to honor that, especially the mythology, story, and themes of the world,” Barrett said. “At the same time, our vision for this game is something new. It’s not a direct sequel to the originals, but something that certainly belongs in the same universe and that feels like a Bungie game. Finding those opportunities to nod to the universe’s lore, while also getting to build something different and new has been one of the best parts of developing this game so far.”
Essentially, it is a new experience with inspiration from the original Marathon. Some elements make this a Bungie game with a focus on player-based storytelling. Marathon is designed to start as a PvP-focused title, so don’t expect a single-player campaign.
The idea behind the decision to forego a campaign is that it allows the team to focus on creating player-driven stories within the world, built into the overarching game narrative. Like Destiny, there will be a persistent world filled with zones continually evolving to inspire players to explore.
How, you might ask? The developer gives an example in which a team may discover “a previously undiscovered artifact that, when activated, opens a new area of the map for all players to explore.”
Marathon won’t be launching anytime soon as the team is still growing to work on this massive project. Bungie is also hiring developers to join the team, so head over to the Bungie Careers page for job listings.
