PlayStation-owned game developer Bungie has delayed the release of its extraction shooter Marathon, adding further complications to an already-tumultuous development cycle that’s raised concerns over PlayStation’s first-party strategy and the fate of the Destiny 2 developer.
The reason for the delay is cited as a reaction to both internal and external feedback—much of it negative—following a Closed Alpha in May that put the game in the public’s hands for the first time. “We’ve taken this [feedback] to heart, and we know we need more time to craft Marathon into the game that truly reflects your passion,” reads a blog post from Bungie. “After much discussion within our Dev team, we’ve made the decision to delay the September 23 release.”
Launch delays are common in the video game industry but the delay of Marathon comes after regular reporting about declining morale and waves of layoffs in 2024 and 2023 that stemmed from rising development costs. PlayStation has already altered the company’s structure by spinning off one team of developers from Bungie into a whole new studio called teamLFG. However PlayStation Studios CEO Herman Hulst recently told investors that he’s “confident” the company won’t “make the same mistakes” it did with the disastrous release of Concord (that ended with the closing of developer Firewalk Studios).
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Marathon’s development was also impacted by Bungie’s firing of game director Chris Barrett, who was accused of misconduct and sexual harassment by several employees. Barrett sued Sony over his termination, denying the claims. Sony responded with a filing documenting the alleged misbehavior.
Then in May 2025, shortly after the conclusion of the closed Alpha, Bungie scrambled to address claims by an external artist, known as Antireal, that the company had used her designs to create texture packs decorating Marathon’s in-game buildings. In a statement, the studio placed blame on an unnamed former employee for the use of the graphics, and promised to “do right” by Antireal. Use of the art was seemingly so widespread that Forbes reported the company was completely overhauling its marketing material to dredge up all instances of the stolen assets.
This incident reportedly seemed to be a major breaking point for many developers at the company, who told Forbes that there is now an “actively hostile environment” at Bungie.
What will it take to turn Marathon into a success story?
A rocky reception and subsequent delay doesn’t mean that Bungie’s Marathon isn’t inherently doomed, though it’s clear turning it into a successful game will cost it and PlayStation more than they may have budgeted for.
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Developers at other companies like Bethesda Online Studios, Square Enix, and CD Projekt Red all faced backlash over the respective launches of Fallout 76, Final Fantasy XIV, and Cyberpunk 2077. In these cases, each of these teams were given time and resources to respond to feedback and drive their respective games to massive financial success.
Bungie’s post states that the developer will be targeting improvements to the “social experience” (the game was apparently set to launch without proximity chat, a popular feature in the extraction shooter genre), better-tuned battling against in-game AI enemies, and deeper investment into “narrative and environmental storytelling” with a darker tone that “delivers on the themes of the original trilogy.