Bungie's Next Game Might Be Delayed As Marketing Plans Said To Be Canceled

Summary

Sony might delay Marathon’s release due to art theft backlash and lack of marketing plans.
Bungie is facing challenges with the upcoming game Marathon, including mixed feedback from alpha testing.
As of now, Marathon is slated for a September release, but Sony’s lack of marketing could impact the launch.

Last month, Bungie finally revealed when its latest project not connected with the Destiny franchise will see the light of day, and it’s in September.

Unfortunately, after the reveal of Marathon, things went downhill fast for the studio and the game, as player feedback from the closed alpha wasn’t exactly glowing, and there was even an issue regarding stolen art, which the studio had to give a statement to try and contain the outrage that transpired.

The latest report about the game seems to indicate Sony might be delaying the extraction shooter.

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In the latest episode of the Sacred Symbols podcast (via TheGamePost), Colin Moriarty mentioned that based on someone familiar with the marketing plans in an overseas market, Sony has canceled paid marketing initiatives for Marathon, which the source states is “considered a fairly unusual move for a game of this high profile.”

Moriarty states, “I was told by someone familiar with marketing plans in a key overseas market that there are now no plans to do paid marketing for Marathon at all. I don’t know if those plans were affected by what has recently happened or if that was always the plan or whatever. But it is considered a fairly unusual move for a game of this high profile.”

Bear in mind that Moriarty didn’t say that there is a delay, but given the art theft fiasco, which Bungie said they are reviewing to remove any assets connected to it, the mixed feedback from the closed test, and now this? It’s hard to see Sony continuing with its September launch date.

Of course, there’s a lot of time left between now and September, so Bunge could turn things around within that timeframe, but even so. it’s quite an uphill climb.

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With PlayStation publishing Marathon, the company has yet to address the art asset issue, nor has it hinteded that its release date has been moved back.

The company is rumored to be hosting a new State of Play this June, so perhaps we’ll hear something about it then? We’re keeping our eyes on anything that happens, and if Bungie does delay Marathon, expect to hear it from us here on DualShockers. For now, Marathon is still set for release on September 23, 2025 on PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC.

Do you think Marathon should get delayed based on the bad press it’s received recently? Or is any attention, good attention?