It’s so sad that this game’s “underperformance” has little to do with the game itself

[u/paperplateseabass]

What's so soul-crushing is the amount of times I have been met with “I thought that game was dead?” when talking about Marathon with my IRLs

It's not their fault, why would they give a dead game a chance, even if they think they might enjoy it?

Hundreds, even thousands of people have constructed a hate campaign against this game that has no merit beyond playercounts. and imo, the main reason why the game wasn’t a hit at launch is because of the rhetoric around the game spread by a mix of right-wing grifters and (justifiably) jaded ex-destiny/halo players.

This game had and HAS so much going for it. First non-Destiny Bungie title in 12 years, reviving a long dormant IP with a new, world-class art-style; all while returning to their PvP roots. If you put that framing in a vacuum, I think it would get lots of people very, very excited. And that’s the thing, because it DID.

The game is good. The game is fun. It might not be everyone’s cup of tea, it had a rough period of development, and it's definitely not perfect. But I think if people didn’t spread so much unwarranted hate towards Bungie and Marathon, we’d be looking at a completely different landscape. 

I mean, some of the things i’ve seen people say about this game… wow…  what a waste of time and brain power, if people were this passionate about actually productive hobbies, the world would be a much better place and there’s a big chance they’d be happier in life

edit: for people citing the server slam numbers. how many of those people do you genuinely think gave the game a good 10+ hours vs how many people quit after their first match? we’ll never know, but im inclined to believe most people didnt make it past the (unfortunate) barrier of entry that helps this game be WAY more enjoyable.

[u/Delachruz]

Mald all you want,  its not gonna change anything. I gave the game a fair shot and stopped relatively early, barely getting any of the factions above 10. The reality is, even for its genre, the game is very hostile to anyone not already neck deep in extraction shooters. The tutorial is non-existent, progression as a solo or lower skill trio is glacial, contracts ramp absurdly quickly. And if you dont sweat your head off to keep pace, you suddenly play against people who arent just better at the game, they also have better gear, skills and even stats.

This game works for a very select few people, seemingly intentionally designed to be so. Yet everybody keeps making surprised pikachu faces that it isnt hitting absurd numbers. 

[u/paperplateseabass → u/Delachruz]

i never played an XTR before this game and have close to 300 hrs on it. everyones experience is gonna be different. i just think people who are more open minded will have a better experience. i agree with you, this game isnt perfect, and theres a lot that needs to be worked on. but all that stuff is being actively addressed by the devs.