Summary
- New Bungie game, Marathon, faces potential failure due to studio and game direction changes.
- Former Valorant director leads the new Marathon era with a focus on a hero roster.
- Bungie's shift to a hero roster in Marathon could aim to reduce development costs and increase profit through selling heroes.
Famous studio studio acquisition by Sony, Bungie would eventually lay off a portion of its staff. These layoffs have led to some other IPs being shelved or outright canceled, while Destiny and Marathon may be the studio's last chance to avoid a Sony takeover.
The original Marathon was akin to what Bungie did a few years later with the first Halo game, an FPS game where players are tasked with clearing out a human colony ship taken over by aliens. Marathon did have multiplayer, though it was only capable of LAN parties and limited to a deathmatch mode. The new Marathon that Bungie is looking to make is switching to an extraction shooter, a genre with little competition outside the most popular Escape From Tarkov.
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Marathon Changes To Former Valorant Game Director
According to IGN and the new game director himself, former Valorant director Joe Ziegler has taken over the duties of former director Christopher Barret. It is unknown what caused the change in leadership, but Ziegler confirmed the information and stated he had been working as the game director for the past nine months. Though it seems the game has changed slightly under Ziegler, the big change from sources is that a roster of selectable heroes is replacing the original idea of custom-created characters.
There could be many reasons for this, but one theory could be related to money. With Bungie suffering major profit losses in the last year due to Destiny 2 and being seen as a failed overpay of desperation on Sony's part, the shift in model could help cut the development costs of Marathon. Also, having a cast of set heroes creates the option for future heroes to be added down the line. Bungie has made most of its recent earnings with often criticized monetization options, so the possibility of selling new heroes and customization options could have been an appealing offer.
It has been rumored that Marathon may be relying on Destiny's next expansion, The Final Shape, to sell well enough to finish development.
With Ziegler at the helm, there is a chance this change does not hurt Marathon as much as one may think. Valorant has been a highly successful competitive shooter that has brought Riot plenty of profit, which is exactly what Bungie needs. However, the other side of this is that hero shooters have become an overused trend that some are tired of. The concept also has a recent hit-or-miss track record of success, making it a risky venture regardless of experienced leadership.
The Original Look Of Bungie's Marathon
Not much is known about how the originally rumored Marathon revival would look under Barret, aside from a few key details. Players would dive into the world in teams of one to three as custom characters and fight against other players before extracting. The loot consisted of alien artifacts that would seem to play a part in the story, as well as weapons and equipment to strengthen one's character. While unconfirmed, based on how extraction shooters work, one would likely lose their gear if they died during an encounter.
The world of Tau Ceti IV is largely unknown to fans outside that it used to be a populated planet long since abandoned. The map was supposedly structured to change based on past runs. The how is currently unknown, but Bungie was good at changing the landscape of Destiny 2 based on events that happened in-game. AI combatants were not explicitly said to be included but are a common part of extraction shooters, which would leave the planet feeling empty, depending on the map and lobby size, if left without them.
How Could Marathon Play Under Former Valorant Director Ziegler
With the change in director, especially this early, the amount Marathon could change is massive. The genre will likely stay the same, as Bungie is already working on a hero shooter, but everything else is fluid. If the rumors about the change to a set roster are true, it could go two possible ways. First, there is a simple roster of characters with no special abilities that one chooses from based on appeal. The second option is that each character has abilities that can be used to change each run or encounter drastically.
This kind of change could be good or terrible based on one's preference. For those who are tired of the plethora of hero shooters, this returning concept will feel bland and take away one's connection to a character they create themselves. In contrast, one who enjoys the concept of hero shooters may like the change. The addition of preset characters with abilities helps add chaotic replayability to matches while closing the skill gap between higher-skill players.
A change in direction could also affect how gear and weapons work in Marathon. While this is all speculation, what could have been a wide variety of armor and weapons may be shrunk. Standardized armor with a few weapons makes balancing easier and opens the door for more microtransactions. Despite how hated this tactic has become in gaming, the chance of avoiding this situation is low given Bungie's track record.
Overall, the game director's change could be a blessing or the nail in the coffin for Marathon. Valorant has been successful, and adding a hero roster to an extraction shooter would be unique to the genre. However, the tired mechanic could push away many who wanted to play, and if it doesn't mesh as well as Bungie believes it can, the game will be a massive flop for the struggling studio. Until the game is released and the opinion is proven wrong, this change in leadership makes Bungie's Marathon sound way worse.
Source: IGN, Ziegler_Dev/X
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