Marathon's reappearance seems to have really won people over

Marathon was supposed to launch in September, but for various reasons, Bungie's next direct services venture is still not here. It has now been revealed that Marathon's release date has been moved to March 2026, and those eagerly awaiting its arrival are warming up to the reveal much faster than the first glimpse of its gameplay.

Bungie dropped the reveal for the marathon on Monday, confirming that the game will now be here in March 2026. The 23-minute ViDoc shows exactly what Bungie has been working on over the past few months, demonstrating how the studio has taken criticism on board following previous trailers and marathon early games.

The marathon's resurfacing numbers are healthier than ever

so far, More than 15,000 people have liked the new marathon videoAnd while that less than 24,000 likes reveals its bad gameplay gained eight months ago, this is the ratio you need to pay attention to. While that gameplay has far more dislikes than likes – a staggering 29,000 – Yesterday's ViDoc has only 3,000Which means like tallies are currently out-comparing their dislikes at a rate of 5:1.

Bungie's Marathon is still under development

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Bungie is hoping that the marathon is “exciting enough” that people will be willing to pay for it.

At this point, revealing the price seems like a wise move.

That may not sound like much, but it will be a positive sign for marathoners that they are on the right track. This is one of the few positives that the developers had to pull from the build to the release of the game because it was really ready to show the world a marathon. From the discovery of stolen art in its game to reports of its entire marketing campaign being unceremoniously scrapped, the team needs a win, even if it means more people hit on one of its YouTube videos than dislikes.

Bungie is clearly listening

Although the details of Marathon's alpha playtests were a closely guarded secret, there were indications by June that Bungie had taken the feedback on board and changed Marathon for the better. An official look at how Marathon has changed, and confirmation that the studio is once again ready to reveal a release date, all indicate confidence in the game after a few hiccups.

Despite the Concord comparison, Bungie remains adamant that, since it cost the same at launch, the Marathon is priced. The marathon will still be $40, but Bungie noted what you'll actually get for that entry fee. A year's worth of “free” updates that will include new maps and various in-game events.

It will take work, and a dash of luck, for a $40 live service game to succeed in a world where you can play many of them for free, but it is possible. While Concord failed to attempt to do so, Helldivers 2 not only succeeded but became an unexpected direct service juggernaut for the PlayStation.