Gameplay revealed for Bungie’s brand new Marathon

Fast-paced and multiplayer to the core, Bungie’s upcoming Marathon had a full gameplay reveal over the weekend.

And runnin’ runnin’

If you’re a Mac fan who was playing games on the platform back in the mid-90s, you likely remember Marathon. A first-person shooter with a sci-fi setting and emphasis on storyline, Marathon set players in the boots of a security officer trying to repel a boarding by some hostile aliens. Things get increasingly more complicated from there, as the narrative involves multiple waring AI’s who might be pitting one faction against the other.

There was a sequel debuting in 1995 for the Mac as well, but then also making the jump to PC the following year. Marathon: Durandal picked up multiple threads from the first game, and led into a third game, which was once again a Mac exclusive. And while the trio of titles have appeared on additional platforms since, that was more or less ‘that’ for the series.

Well, fast-forward to the current year, and we’ve got a bit of a reboot on our hands, with Marathon. eschewing any sort of subtitle, the new Marathon once again spins out of Bungie, and heads back to the original game’s Tau Ceti and its ‘lost’ colony, complete with a derelict Marathon spacecraft looming above. That however, is where the similarities end, as players control a cyber-merc called a Runner, in what’s a completely multiplayer affair.

There’s no campaign this time around, though there is an over-arching storyline, as Marathon‘s Tau Ceti is home to the fractured remnants of the former colony. Each one of these factions hires Runners to gather resources, and go head to head with rivals. In the mix too, are the “answers to Tau Ceti IV’s mysteries”, which “hang in the balance”, according to Bungie.

Here’s your first set of looks at it in action:

Marathon | Reveal Cinematic Short

Along with all of the gameplay shown above, Bungie also took the wraps off of a Marathon animated short, created by pinkman.tv. Running for almost nine minutes, the gorgeously animated mini-movie showcases the many hazards of life on the Tau Ceti IV’s surface.

Expect to see Runners in action and a mysterious AI, all accompanied by a haunting soundtrack.

While Marathon gameplay was the focus of the Showcase, Bungie surprised audiences by closing out the event with the first, original cinematic short set in the Marathon universe, displaying the team’s commitment to rich storytelling both in and out of the game. This cinematic short was written and directed by the award-winning director Alberto Mielgo and his animation studio pinkman.tv.

“When I first read about Marathon’s universe and characters, I found everything strangely poetic and mysterious,” said Alberto Mielgo. “The concepts of futility and endurance immediately came to mind, and I felt an urgent need to write about it. Seeing the game team’s super bold and vibrant artwork created an instant connection. It’s all deeply inspiring and thought-provoking.”

Marathon | Reveal Cinematic Short cast:

• Erica Lindbeck as Glitch
• Elias Toufexis as Void
• Nika Futterman as Blackbird
• Donnla Hughes as ONI
• Ben Starr as Narrator

Bungie press release

Marathon is on its way to the PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC, and will arrive this September the 23rd. Along with all of the above, Bungie has also launched the Marathon Collection on the Bungie Store (which you can check out here), and is also about to fire up a Closed Alpha Test.

If you’d like to get in on that, it’ll be kicking off later this month (April, 2025), and you can find out how to participate via Bungie’s community Discord.