Bungie Set to Live Stream Gameplay of Its First Game In Over a Decade
It’s been more than a decade since the creators of Halo and Destiny released a completely new title but on April 12, 2025, Bungie will reveal the gameplay of its rebooted version of Marathon on three live streaming platforms simultaneously.
The stream is set to go live at 1pm EDT (New York) simultaneously on Twitch, YouTube, and TikTok with Bungie developers featuring gameplay, news, and updates. Expectations on the reboot of its Marathon franchise are high with more than 270,000 views only 14 hours after the gameplay video announcement was posted on YouTube on April 7.
“Set on the mysterious planet of Tau Ceti IV, Marathon will see players inhabit the bodies of Runners, cybernetic mercenaries who have been designed to survive the planet’s harsh environment,” Bungie said in a press release.
“While exploring the lost colony that once inhabited the surface, players will search for valuable loot including new weapons and gear.”
Transitioned Into a PvP extraction shooter from the classic Marathon franchise, players will go on solo missions or as part of a crew on a planet full of both player adversaries and AI- controlled enemies. The stakes are high as attempts at victory can bring either massive rewards or devastating losses.
Jump to:
A Reboot Surrounded by Controversy
The development of Marathon was set back following the dismissal of Chris Barrett, the game’s former director, after an internal investigation into misconduct against female colleagues suggested that Barrett had made comments on their attractiveness and suggested to play games like “Truth or Dare.”
“I feel that I have always conducted myself with integrity and been respectful and supportive of my colleagues. I never understood my communications to be unwanted. If anyone ever felt that way about their interaction with me, I am truly sorry,” Barrett said in a statement following the allegations.
Nine months later, in March 2024, Joe Ziegler took over as game director of the Marathon reboot, and assured that production of the game wasn’t in jeopardy. No official release date has been announced but Marathon has been developed for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.
The plan is for the game to be cross-platform and have a cross-save function.
Cryptic Marketing Leaves Room For Speculations
Fans of the original Marathon franchise have been waiting for years to learn more about the reboot, but Bungie has successfully managed to keep things virtually air-tight. The comment section under their YouTube gameplay announcement video is rife with speculations.
“Carefully optimistic because, man, does this art direction look amazing. I swear to God, if the hero shooter rumors are true I’m going to be so disappointed,” BDubH22 wrote in the comment section.
The upcoming Marathon reboot has been developed with an upgraded version of Bungie’s proprietary Tiger Engine, the same that was used for the studio’s Destiny series. This is a departure from the Halo series which was powered by the Blam! Engine, the predecessor of the Tiger Engine.
However, the Marathon logo appears subtly throughout the Halo series, implying both games are set in the same universe, but this has never been officially confirmed by Bungie. In Halo, “Marathon” refers to colony ships of the Marathon-class which also ties them to the classic Marathon franchise.
These ships are connected to the AI systems within the Halo universe, and given that the reboot will feature AI-controlled enemies, this could mean that the AI has run amok.
