Bungie has been going through some tumultuous changes over the past several months, from layoffs and cost-cutting measures to pre-orders tracking below expectations for Destiny 2: The Final Shape. There haven’t been any updates on Marathon, its upcoming extraction shooter based on the classic sci-fi franchise, with rumors indicating a delay to 2025.
However, multiple sources speaking to IGN have revealed that Christopher Barrett has been removed as game director and replaced by Joe Ziegler. The latter formerly worked as a director for Riot Games’ Valorant and joined Bungie in 2022. On Twitter, Ziegler confirmed he’s been working in this role for the past nine months and is excited to share more details.
Bungie is “pouring resources” to ship Marathon, but interestingly, it’s shifting away from customizable characters towards a cast of heroes under Ziegler’s leadership. How this will work and whether it goes with a live-service model akin to Apex Legends remains to be seen.
Marathon is coming to Xbox Series X/S, PS5 and PC, so stay tuned for more updates. In the meantime, fans are bringing Classic Marathon over to Steam. Head here for more details.
Hey everyone! Fun update: for the last 9
Months I’ve been working on Marathon as the game director. We’re still baking, but I’m excited to share with you more info on the game as we get closer and closer to bringing it to all of you.— Ziegler (@Ziegler_Dev) March 19, 2024
