Bungie’s Marathon hasn’t received the warmest reception since its reveal last month, and the recent controversy over stolen art assets hasn’t helped. Forbes’ Paul Tassi reported that morale is allegedly in “free-fall” at the studio and that it’s overhauled its entire marketing strategy, including a trailer seemingly planned for June.
Bungie is also allegedly working on a “public playtest roadmap” instead of an open beta. There’s reportedly internal concern about how Marathon’s failure could affect the studio. As for a potential reason why, in a new video, Tassi reported hearing that the extraction shooter must be in the top five of NPD sales of the year to be considered a success.
The current NPD top three includes Monster Hunter Wilds, with over 10 million units sold; Assassin’s Creed Shadows, crossing three million players in about a week; and The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered, with more than four million players in four days. Suffice it to say that Bungie has its work cut out.
Marathon launches on September 23rd for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC.
