After a hyped gameplay reveal this weekend, Bungie’s Marathon has been the subject of much discussion. There’s praise and mixed reactions for its look, skepticism over the gameplay, and more than enough questions about the pricing, especially since it has a Battle Pass.
Marathon isn’t free-to-play, and though Bungie didn’t outline how much it would (with more details due this Summer), it confirmed that this won’t be a full-priced title. But what motivated the developer to avoid the free-to-play route?
On the Friends Per Second Podcast (transcription via VGC), director Joe Ziegler said, “We’re hoping that what we’re showing is exciting enough that someone is going to take the leap with us, but we are also committed to delivering on seasons past this that will continuously offer to evolve the game without an increase to the box price.
“What we’re hoping everyone understands is that we’re focused on committing to making this a game that’s really awesome, and we think that starting point is really strong at this current time. Everyone’s got their own definition of what is the right price.”
Of course, everyone also has their own definition of value for money. Marathon will launch with three maps and six playable Runners. A fourth map arrives shortly after, and while there are big plans for seasonal adventures, Bungie has admitted that the narrative is sparse out of the gate. Whether all this is enough for players remains to be seen.
Marathon is out on September 23rd for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC. The closed alpha runs from April 23rd to May 4th.
