Bungie Comments on Marathon Potentially Having Aggression-Based Matchmaking

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Chinese content creators and journalists recently got an early look at Bungie’s new game, Marathon, and shared a lot of details about it before its release next month on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. During a preview event, the game’s director, Joseph Ziegler, explained that Marathon won’t punish players for being less aggressive like the game ARC Raiders did. However, the game will include features that let players team up and be friendly if they choose.

Following a closed playtest last year, Bungie delayed its new shooter, Marathon, due to player feedback. Now, Marathon is set to return next month with significant improvements. Bungie has updated key areas like artificial intelligence, combat, and graphics, and also added new social features like nearby voice chat.

Marathon Won’t Have Aggression-Based Matchmaking

Since the recent popularity of ARC Raiders, many players have been wondering if Marathon will feature a similar system for matching players based on how aggressively they play. According to game director Joseph Ziegler, the answer is no. In a recent interview, Ziegler explained that Marathon won’t specifically identify non-combat players, but it will offer tools to help players connect and communicate – like nearby voice chat. The team believes that the uncertainty of not knowing who might be friendly or hostile is a key element of the game’s survival experience, creating tension and suspense.

As a big fan of ARC Raiders, I remember how much discussion there was when they first explained the matchmaking system. It’s designed to pair you with players based on how aggressively you play, but people quickly figured out a trick! By playing passively and not shooting other players, you could end up in lobbies full of other friendly, cooperative players. Some of us felt this made the raids too easy and took away the tension, but the CEO, Patrick Söderlund, recently said that wasn’t what they were aiming for. He assured us they’re still working on it and will keep tweaking the system to get it right.

The game director for Marathon also discussed the possibility of a ‘safe pocket’ feature, similar to those found in games like ARC Raiders. While Bungie hasn’t included one at the game’s launch, they’ve focused on alternative ways for players to gather resources and advance. The team hasn’t ruled out adding a safety container in a future seasonal update, but will be monitoring player feedback and how they play the game before making a decision.

The upcoming game Marathon is setting itself apart from ARC Raiders in several ways, including the absence of a ‘safe zone’ and a matchmaking system that doesn’t pair players based on aggression. Bungie recently shared more details about Marathon‘s free starting loadouts, and one feature is something ARC Raiders players have requested since the game launched. Players who choose the Rook class—a free loadout option—will begin matches slightly after others.

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2026-02-11 20:04