If you haven’t heard, Bungie’s Marathon, an extraction shooter based on its 90s sci-fi trilogy, has a release date with a closed alpha starting this month. One of the more interesting topics is how it will coexist alongside Destiny 2, the developer’s other live-service shooter, and whether its fans will make the jump over.
Director Joe Ziegler addressed this in an interview with GamesRadar+, and while the development team can help “smooth out” some of the barriers to entry, “I think there are other things that maybe we can’t, just to be 100% honest.
“I think part of it is we don’t expect Marathon to become Destiny 3. Our goal is not to basically make a new product that replaces Destiny 2. We believe Destiny 2 has a future, and the team working on it has been working really hard to understand what players’ needs are.
“But if you like Destiny, and you happen to like a lot of PvP sandbox experiences, and those are other games that you play, then we think that Marathon could be something very exciting for you.”
Since the weapon systems for Bungie’s shooters tend to be a “little bit similar,” Ziegler feels that Destiny players may feel “a certain advantage” when trying Marathon. However, “there’s just enough change where I think you’re gonna have to relearn some of that curve as well.” Alternatively, if you only enjoyed Destiny for its PvE and not PvP, this likely won’t change your mind.
“If you are a Destiny player who’s really not interested in any PvP at all, it’s probably not the game for you because there’s gonna be PvP interactions that occur. At some point, someone else who is a player is gonna come across you and shoot you,” said Ziegler.
“I think if you are only looking for PvE experiences, definitely Marathon is not the game for you. […] We are very comfortable saying, yeah, this isn’t a game for everybody. This is a game for: if you like PvP experiences, especially in sandbox spaces, then this is probably something you’re gonna enjoy.”
There are some PvE aspects with hostile NPCs that you must deal with sooner rather than later (and who pack a wallop, based on alpha impressions). However, PvP is a core ingredient in the formula that Bungie wants to focus on as much, if not more.
Marathon launches on September 23rd for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC with three maps and six Runners. Check out the gameplay overview here and learn more about the intent for seasons here.
