Bungie’s next big season for Marathon is no longer launching on September 22nd. In fact, seasons will be going away. Instead, the development team will focus on “giving the team more flexibility to build, test, and improve features before they are released.”
So when can you expect new content for the extraction shooter, which, if you’ve seen the Steam numbers, is looking absolutely dire? December 8th with the Symbiosis update. It includes a refreshed version of Perimeter, a new Runner Shell, an experimental Team Deathmatch mode, onboarding improvements, and perhaps most surprising, a social space that also doubles as a firing range.
This also marks the first permanent PvE experience, and while Bungie didn’t share many details, it will provide “a new way to explore, progress, and engage with the world beyond traditional PvPvE extraction gameplay.” Symbiosis is considered an “important milestone” and “the beginning of a broader evolution through March and beyond, shaped by what we learn from players along the way.”
Of course, that doesn’t mean the game is going dark until December. October 6th features a progression and economy reset, a new Rewards Pass, balance updates and even the return of Vault Breaker. Bungie will also continue with its “gameplay experiments,” so expect more details on that front.
As for the game’s future, a blog post will go live later this month where the development team outlines how it will evolve Marathon “into a more alien and dynamic survival experience.” At the very least, this isn’t an end-of-service announcement, so that’s one reason to celebrate.
Still, despite adding PvE modes and making it far more forgiving, Marathon hasn’t really caught on since launching last March for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC. With Destiny 2 not receiving any more content and mass layoffs, it remains to be seen how Bungie can salvage it going forward.
