Remember Marathon? It's the highly anticipated next game from Destiny developer Bungie, and it looks like we're finally on the cusp of seeing more of it.

Marathon is a PvP-focused extraction shooter set on the mysterious planet of Tau Ceti IV. Players will take on the roles of Runners, cybernetic mercenaries engineered to endure the planet's harsh conditions, as they explore the remnants of a lost colony that once thrived on Tau Ceti's surface.

It's been a while since we last heard about Marathon. In October, Bungie released an extensive development update video that provided insights into Marathon's mechanics. However, they emphasized that the game was still in its early stages of development. At that time, player character models were still being refined, and enemy models were in their preliminary state.

Now, six months later, it seems Bungie is ready to unveil more about their project. A tweet from the official Marathon account showcased a cryptic image accompanied by distorted signal noise. Fans have noticed ASCII art depicting scenes from the debut Marathon trailer. Given Bungie's reputation for enigmatic teasers, hidden clues, and Easter eggs, there's likely much more to uncover, and the community is already diving in to decipher the message.

The latest developments suggest that Marathon is finally moving forward, despite a challenging development period.

pic.twitter.com/6NBgIdRVK2

— Marathon (@MarathonTheGame) April 4, 2025

Marathon was first revealed in May 2023 as a reboot of the iconic Bungie franchise, promising to delve into themes of "mysteries, eeriness, and psychological creepiness." However, Bungie has faced significant challenges recently, including the layoff of 220 staff members in July 2024, which accounted for 17% of its workforce. This move was widely criticized within the industry.

This followed another round of layoffs just under a year earlier, when 100 employees were let go, creating a "soul-crushing" atmosphere at the studio, according to staff who spoke to IGN.

Adding to the controversy, a report emerged shortly after the 220 job cuts, alleging that former Marathon director Chris Barrett was fired following an internal misconduct investigation at Bungie. Barrett later filed a lawsuit against Sony Interactive Entertainment and Bungie, seeking over $200 million in damages.

Are you excited for Marathon? -----------------------------

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AnswerSee ResultsAmidst these challenges, Sony has been reevaluating its focus on live-service games. In November 2023, Sony president Hiroki Totoki announced that the company would launch only six out of the 12 live service games it had planned by March 2026, marking a significant shift in strategy that led to the cancellation of The Last of Us multiplayer game.

While Arrowhead's Helldivers 2 achieved remarkable success, selling 12 million copies in just 12 weeks and becoming the fastest-selling PlayStation Studios game ever, other Sony live service games have either been canceled or experienced disastrous launches.

Sony's Concord, for instance, became one of the biggest flops in PlayStation history, surviving only a few weeks before being taken offline due to extremely low player engagement. Sony eventually decided to terminate the game and shut down its developer.

Earlier this year, Sony reportedly canceled two unannounced live service games, one a God of War title developed by Bluepoint and another by Days Gone developer Bend.