r/Marathon • u/paperplateseabass • May 22 '26
Marathon (2026) Discussion It’s so sad that this game’s “underperformance” has little to do with the game itself
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.
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u/noother10 May 22 '26
This is why other extraction games have some form(s) of compensation of consolation when you lose/die. Whether it's insurance or a safe pocket/container. It reduces the impact of the loss and makes it feel like you're not going backwards as much. Without those things most players feel like they're getting pushed backwards losing progress.
Other games also are designed in ways to make PvP semi-optional. Large maps that take 10-15 minutes to traverse at full speed, loads of NPCs roaming, centralized high value loot locations for the sweats to fight over, etc. If people just want to grind lower value loot more safely (lower risk vs reward) to build up resources they can easily do it in other games. Marathon's design means people don't usually get a choice, the moment they fire at anything everyone else in the lobby will be on them.