Marathon Will Eat Escape From Tarkov’s Lunch

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Summary

  • Bungie’s Marathon will aim to offer a unique experience rather than trying to directly rival leading extraction shooters like Escape from Tarkov.
  • Marathon will be significantly more accessible than a typical extraction shooter.
  • The game will also try to stand out with its cyberpunk world in a genre dominated by military sim settings.

Marathon, as per its director Joe Ziegler, intends to stand out among other extraction shooters by providing a unique, distinct gaming experience that’s unlike anything else currently on the market. He also shed light on the reasons why breaking into the extraction shooter genre can be particularly tough.

Initially announced in May 2023, the game “Marathon” didn’t get a gameplay reveal until two years later. Bungie unveiled its extraction shooter during an April 12 livestream and also confirmed the game’s release date: September 23.

The official marketing push for the game kicked off following numerous interviews with Joe Ziegler, the game’s director, which were published by different media sources after the April 12 live broadcast. One such interview was conducted by YouTube personality Jake Lucky, who had a discussion with Ziegler about the broader aspects of the game’s impending release. During this conversation, it was disclosed that the upcoming game, Marathon, won’t be aiming to compete head-to-head with other extraction shooters.

Marathon Won’t Try To Eat Escape From Tarkov’s Lunch

Ziegler stated that he doesn’t view creating games as a direct competition where one aims to replace others, more like not trying to eat someone else’s lunch metaphorically speaking. However, he acknowledged that some might find this point of view naive. Regarding Marathon, it won’t strive to resemble Escape from Tarkov, the established leader in the extraction shooter genre. Ziegler believes that attempting to copy popular live-service titles is futile because if players prefer to continue playing the original game, they will do so without needing a replica.

Marathon Will Be More Accessible Than a Typical Extraction Shooter

From this point of view, Bungie is venturing on its own path with Marathon, certain that the end result will captivate a broad audience. Some notable distinctions between the upcoming game and popular extraction shooters include its cyberpunk backdrop and the lack of proximity chat—a feature omitted to minimize toxic behavior. Marathon aims to distinguish itself further by emphasizing accessibility, striving to be instantly engaging from the get-go. In contrast, many current extraction shooters are recognized for having quite challenging learning processes.

I see game creation as more about collaboration and growth rather than directly competing to consume others’ successes, so to speak.

Even though the official release of the game is still about half a year off, some eager fans will have a sneak peek in just a few days due to Bungie’s recent announcement of the Marathon closed alpha test. The trial kicks off on April 23 and concludes on May 4, but for now, it’s only open to North American players. Bungie plans to conduct more tests targeting other regions later. As for the launch, Marathon will feature three maps and six playable classes. Bungie has confirmed that their upcoming extraction shooter won’t be a free-to-play game or a full-priced one either, hinting that it might cost around $40 upon release.

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2025-04-13 21:24