Bungie acknowledged that although Marathon received positive reviews from critics and some players, its player base did not meet the company's expectations. The studio plans to move the game beyond the traditional extraction shooter framework, gradually developing it into a deeper survival experience with permanent PvE gameplay.
After its release, Marathon recorded approximately 88,000 concurrent players on Steam and achieved a 90% positive review rate, but it still fell short of the scale Bungie had set. The studio stated that this game is not intended to replace Destiny, but rather serves as an important title shaping Bungie's next phase of development.
Future content will expand along three directions: cooperative PvE, competitive PvP, and tension-focused PvPvE, aiming to cater to players with different gameplay preferences and skill levels. This July, the game experimentally launched a limited-time PvE mode without player-versus-player combat called "Vault Breakers," and the permanent PvE plans will continue to build upon this foundation.
The major update originally scheduled for September 22 has now been merged into the "Symbiosis" update launching on December 8. Prior to this, the game will implement the "Nightfall Refresh" on October 6, at which point player progress and the in-game economy system will be reset.
"Symbiosis" will bring Marathon's first permanent PvE mode, a social hub featuring a shooting range, new Runner shells, and experimental team deathmatch content.
Bungie also positions Destiny as the foundation of the company's future and continues to advance the return of legacy content in Destiny 2, including campaigns, destinations, and raids that were previously removed from the game.