Marathon Server Slam Goes Cross-Platform

This new *Marathon* marks Bungie's first new project in over a decade and a revival of the studio's foundational sci-fi series. The original *Marathon* trilogy, released for Apple Macintosh between 1994 and 1996, is considered a spiritual predecessor to Bungie's later work on the *Halo* franchise. The classic trilogy has since been made available for free on Steam. Unlike the original's story-driven first-person shooter campaign, the 2026 reboot is a PvP "extraction shooter." In this genre, squads of players enter a map to fight both AI enemies and other player-controlled teams to secure valuable loot and "extract" safely. If a player dies before extracting, they lose the gear they brought in. The game is set on the planet Tau Ceti IV, 99 years after the events of the original game. Players take on the roles of "Runners," cybernetic mercenaries hired by various factions to scavenge the lost colony for resources and artifacts. Matches will feature up to six teams of three players, though solo and duo play is also possible. Developer Bungie is well-known for creating the iconic *Halo* and *Destiny* franchises. After being acquired by Microsoft in 2000 and later becoming independent in 2007, the studio was acquired by Sony Interactive Entertainment in 2022 for approximately $3.6 billion. Despite the Sony acquisition, Bungie will remain a multi-platform studio, as evidenced by *Marathon's* release on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC. The "Server Slam," running from February 26th to March 2nd, serves as a final technical stress test ahead of the game's full release. Bungie has stated the goal is to intentionally push the servers to their limits to identify and fix issues before the official launch. Early player counts during the server test have been high, with the game reaching over 143,000 concurrent players on Steam alone. Player feedback has been mixed, with many praising the core gunplay and graphics, which feel similar to Bungie's *Destiny* series. However, there has also been significant criticism directed at the game's "clunky" and confusing user interface, a high time-to-kill, and an initial overwhelming experience for new players. Bungie has acknowledged the UI feedback and is gathering more player thoughts.